Vodkatini / Vodka Martini
4.0 78 ratings
Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a martini glass
Prepare
- 1 Select and pre-chill a MARTINI GLASS.
- 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist &/or skewered chilled green olive.
Method
- 3 STIR (or shake) all ingredients with ice.
- 4 STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish
- 5 Express lemon zest twist over cocktail and use as garnish &/or adorn with skewered olive.
Flavour profile
26.7% alc./vol. · 1.5 standard drinks · 152 calories
History
Serve this modern classic at freezing temperatures for a clean, crisp Martini.
The exact origins of the Vodkatini in relation to the Dry Martini remain unclear, but 'Vodka Martinis' were certainly available in New York following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Its earliest known printed mention is found in a 1935 Smirnoff marketing pamphlet: VODKA MANHATTAN COCKTAIL 2 parts Vodka 1 part Italian Vermouth (Sweet) Dash of Angostura Bitters Ice and stir well. Strain into cocktail glass. Add Maraschino Cherry. VODKA MARTINI COCKTAIL (DRY) 3 parts Vodka 1 part French Vermouth (Dry) Put 1 or 2 pieces of lemon peel with ice in mixing glass, stir well. Strain into cocktail glass. Twist a bit of lemon peel on finished drink. Add an olive if desired. Lucius Beebe's 1946 The Stork Club Bar Book marks the first appearance of the Vodka Martini in a cocktail recipe book, featuring two versions: one in the "Night" section and another in the Appendix. Most personal preferences for mixed drinks are essentially variations on established themes, similar to how all witticisms are purportedly based on seven fundamental joke structures. Carole Landis, for instance, insists on a vodka Martini, claiming it will eventually make the customer crave a Bloody Mary the following morning. Vodka Martini #1: 3 oz. vodka 1 oz. dry vermouth Stir or spoon with cube of ice and serve as a conventional Martini in 4 oz. glass. According to Joe Acre, the captain, the vodka Martini is a favorite of Dashiel Hammett: Vodka Martini #2: ⅓ oz. French vermouth ⅔ oz. vodka Serve in a cocktail glass. Serve very cold. Ted Saucier's 1952 book, Bottoms Up, followed six years later with: VODKATINI By Jerome Zerbe, Photographer, and Society Editor of Town and Country 4/5 jigger Smirnoff vodka 1/5 jigger dry vermouth Ice Stir in mixer. Strain into cocktail glass, and add twist lemon peel. Saucier attributes the invention of the Vodka Martini to Jerome Zerbe (1904-1988), who served as the society editor for Town and Country Magazine. Zerbe, also recognized as the first celebrity paparazzi, was a socialite who achieved a level of fame comparable to the celebrities he photographed, maintaining close friendships with movie stars like Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, and Cary Grant. The Vodka Martini's popularity was boosted by the increased consumption of vodka in the 1980s and 1990s, and by Ian Fleming's character James Bond, known for his preference for Vodka Martinis "shaken, not stirred." It should be noted that Bond actually consumed Vesper Martinis.