Martini

The finest of all cocktails. Strong, cold and refreshing. Two ingredients and a piece of lemon peel, so the quality of the ingredients are important — the gin has to be good, the vermouth fresh, and everything has to be properly cold. This is a dry one with a twist.

Ingredients

• 60ml dry gin, kept in the freezer (Boatyard, No.3 or Roku are the ones)
• 10ml dry vermouth (I like Cocchi Extra Dry, kept in the fridge)
• Strip of lemon peel

Method

1. Keep your gin in the freezer and chill your coupe in there too (do this well ahead, a warm glass kills a martini faster than anything)
2. Add the gin and vermouth to a mixing glass with plenty of ice
3. Stir for 30 seconds until ice cold
4. Strain into the chilled coupe
5. Cut a strip of lemon peel, trimming away any pith
6. Express the peel over the top (skin side down, give it a squeeze so the oils spray over the surface), wipe it around the rim and drop it in

Notes

If anything is lukewarm — the gin, the glass, your patience — the drink falls apart.

Batching it in the freezer ensures consistency and scale, even more than with the Negroni. Multiply the gin and vermouth by the number of drinks, add 10% of the total volume in water (a martini takes on a little less dilution than a stirred-over-ice Negroni because it’s served straight up), bottle it, and keep it in the freezer. It won’t freeze — the drink pours at around -18°C, thick and viscous, colder than you could ever get it by stirring. Cut the twists fresh, though; the peel doesn’t batch.

Inspiration

Dukes in London, where the gin comes off the trolley freezer-cold and the martinis have a house limit for good reason. Closer to home, Empire Café and Below Stairs in Leeds both pour a proper one.