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All cocktails Bradford Martini

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Bradford Martini

Classic/vintage · Hall of Fame and must know/try · Martini-style

4.5 103 ratings

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz Gin
1/4 oz Dry vermouth
1 dash Orange bitters

How to make

Serve in a martini glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a MARTINI GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist &/or skewered green olive.

Method

  1. 3 SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 5 Express lemon zest twist over cocktail and use as garnish &/or adorn with skewered olive.

Flavour profile

28.7% alc./vol. · 1.8 standard drinks · 174 calories

History

A shaken Dry Martini, or Bradford, is a personal preference. While some consider a "shaken martini" to be unorthodox, the aeration achieved through more vigorous mixing results in a lighter, colder, and sometimes more appealing cocktail. Shaking a martini (Bradford) seems to amplify the vermouth notes more than stirring. Consequently, shaken martinis (Bradfords) require less vermouth. Experimentation has led to the conclusion that a 10:1 gin to vermouth ratio is ideal for a shaken martini, whereas a 5:1 ratio is preferred for a stirred Martini.

A Bradford is a Dry Martini that is shaken instead of stirred. The origin of the Bradford, like the Martini itself, is lost in time. However, Harry Johnson's 1900 edition of his Bartender's Manual includes two Martini recipes. One is simply titled "Martini Cocktail," and the other is "Bradford à la Martini." Crucially, the Martini is stirred, while the Bradford is shaken. David Embury reinforces this difference in his 1948 book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks: "If you shake the Martini it becomes a BRADFORD." Similar to his Martini recipe, Harry Johnson's 1900 Bradford à la Martini recipe calls for equal parts "Tom gin" and "vermouth," shaken with "3 or 4 dashes of orange bitters" and "the peel of one lemon." He specifies garnishing with "a medium-sized olive." BRADFORD À LA MARTINI. (Use a large bar glass.) ¾ glass of fine-shaved ice; 3 0r 4 dashes of orange bitters; The peel of one lemon into mixing glass; ½ wine glass of Tom gin; ½ wine glass of vermouth; Shake well with a shaker, strain into a cocktail glass, put a medium-sized olive into it and serve.

Also known as Shaken Martini