Dressing Up Your Martini

Does the garnish make the martini? Or is it the liquor? Or is it the ratio of gin (or vodka) and dry vermouth? Each martini drinker has a favorite formula and who is to say which is the best way (or the right way) to make this famous cocktail, let alone garnish it.

The history of the martini is blurred in contradictions and there is no agreement as to its origin. It may have been created in San Francisco and named for the town of Martinez or at the Knicker-bocker Hotel in New York City and named for its creator. Some even say it was invented in England.

The components of a martini have varied as it has traveled toward today's classic version. Gin and vermouth were always present. But sweet vermouth instead of dry, orange bitters and maraschino liqueur were part of the early formulas. As the palate becomes sophisticated, so have the components.

Today's martini is usually made with 2 to 4 ounces of gin and ( ounce of vermouth poured into an ice-filled shaker, shaken and poured into a frosty glass. It is then garnished with a lemon twist or a green pimento-stuffed olive. When garnished with a pickled onion, it is called a Gibson.

Long-time martini lovers may grumble but vodka is now the popular liquor-of-choice for the gin in martinis. Vodka martini (Vodkatini) consumption is on the rise. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, the vodka martini was the most popular mixed drink in Washington D.C. in 1993. (What a surprise!) At some establishments, if you order a martini, you will get a vodka martini.

The basic martini remains the drink of the legendary three-martini lunch and the beverage that statesmen, writers and movie stars made famous. But what about the garnishes which have nudged the lemon twist out of the drink?

For the most part, bartenders have remained faithful to conventional martini garnishes -- green stuffed olive, lemon twist or onion. One establishment in Seattle garnishes its martinis with two olives: one with a pimiento center, the other with an almond center. Another garnishes its vodka martinis with a slice of ginger which has been marinated in vodka. Perhaps an Asian twist? But these innovative ideas are uncommon.

At home, it is another story. The olive or twist has given way to other garnishes such as olives, but with anchovy or blue cheese in the center. The blue cheese centers are hand-filled. Or try a pickled or spicy asparagus (or green bean) or miniature eggplant in place of the olive. Perhaps a large caper, with a stem? For the adventuresome, slip in a large pistachio or a thin slice of firm cucumber. To put some heat in your drink, add a sliver of hot pepper, such as jalapeno.

Traditionalists may gasp at this blasphemy, but the creators of new garnishes swear by them and would not revert to a staid pimiento-filled olive. For these entrepreneurs, the garnishes do make the martini in the '90's. Cheers!