Gin Martini
The Gin Martini is the cocktail that requires the most attention to the spirit itself. Gin, dry vermouth, ice, lemon peel or olive. No mixers, no sweeteners, nowhere to hide. The right Scottish gin in a properly-made Martini is one of the great drinking experiences. Hendrick's specifically is internationally famous for its Martinis, and several other Scottish gins — The Botanist, Caorunn — produce serious Martinis too.
The Martini's exact origin is contested — most cocktail historians trace it to late-19th-century American bartending, with the early versions being significantly sweeter and using a much higher proportion of vermouth than the modern dry Martini. The 'dry Martini' ratio shifted progressively drier through the 20th century, peaking in the mid-century with 'extra dry' versions using almost no vermouth at all. Modern serious Martinis have rebalanced back to 5:1 or 6:1 gin:vermouth — enough vermouth to taste, not so much that it dominates.
Ingredients
- Gin60ml
London Dry, contemporary, or Scottish — the gin is the drink. Use something you'd happily drink neat.
- Dry vermouth10-15ml
French dry vermouth — Noilly Prat, Dolin Dry. Fresh; refrigerated within a month of opening.
- Lemon peel or olives1 strip / 1-3 olives
Choose one. Lemon for citrus-forward drinks; olives for savoury. Never both.
Lemon twist (expressed) or 1-3 green olives
Method
- 1
Add the gin and dry vermouth to a mixing glass with plenty of ice
- 2
Stir for 30-40 seconds — longer than most cocktails. A properly stirred Martini is silky, cold, and slightly diluted.
- 3
Strain into a chilled coupe or Martini glass
- 4
If using lemon: express the peel over the surface (squeeze skin-side-down so the oils spray onto the drink), rub around the rim, then drop in or discard
- 5
If using olives: skewer 1-3 on a cocktail pick and rest across the glass
Which whisky / spirit to use
Internationally famous for Martinis. The cucumber-and-rose character makes a distinctive, slightly floral Martini that pairs beautifully with a cucumber-slice garnish (Hendrick's signature serve).
The serious gin enthusiast's Martini. 22 foraged Islay botanicals produce a Martini with genuine complexity. Lemon peel garnish.
Not Scottish but the international Martini benchmark. Citrus-led, properly juniper-forward, made for this drink.
The everyday Martini gin. The apple-led character produces a slightly fruitier Martini than the classic style; surprisingly good with a lemon twist.
Variations
Dirty Martini
Add 5-10ml of olive brine to the stirring glass along with the gin and vermouth. Produces a savoury, slightly cloudy Martini with a stronger olive character. Garnish with 1-3 olives.
Wet Martini
Increase the vermouth to 20-30ml (a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio). Closer to the early 20th-century Martinis. Softer, more aromatic, slightly less spirit-forward. A useful reset if dry Martinis feel too austere.
Vesper
James Bond's Martini, with vodka added: 60ml gin + 20ml vodka + 10ml Lillet Blanc, shaken and served with a lemon peel. Significantly stronger than a standard Martini and stylistically different — Bond's choice was idiosyncratic, not optimal.
Hendrick's Cucumber Martini
Standard Martini ratio with Hendrick's gin, garnished with two thin slices of cucumber instead of lemon or olive. The signature Hendrick's serve and a genuinely good Martini variation.
Food pairings
- Pre-dinner with olives, cured meats, or smoked salmon canapés
- Caviar (the classic pairing)
- Aged hard cheeses
- Oysters (the gin's juniper cleans the palate between)
- Shaking. The Martini should be stirred — shaking aerates the drink, makes it cloudy, and gives it a foamy top. James Bond famously asked for his shaken, which is wrong but cinematic.
- Cheap gin. There is nowhere for poor gin to hide in a Martini. Use the best gin in your bar.
- Stale vermouth. Vermouth is fortified wine — once opened it oxidises within 4-6 weeks. A Martini made with old vermouth tastes flat and slightly sour. Keep an open bottle in the fridge and replace within a month.
- Wrong garnish for the gin. Cucumber works for Hendrick's; lemon works for classic London Dry; olives work for savoury. Don't mismatch — and don't use both lemon and olives in the same Martini.
The Martini is the cocktail that tells you whether a gin is good. Made properly with a serious gin, a fresh bottle of French dry vermouth, and 30 seconds of patient stirring, it is one of the most pleasurable drinks in the world. Made carelessly, it's just cold alcohol. The discipline is the entire point.
Most home Martinis are bad because the vermouth is old. Buy a small (35cl) bottle of Noilly Prat or Dolin Dry, keep it in the fridge, and replace it monthly. Do nothing else differently and your Martinis will surpass most cocktail bars. The gin matters too — but the vermouth is the bigger lift.
Frequently asked questions
+How dry should a Martini be?
The modern serious Martini is 5:1 or 6:1 gin to dry vermouth (so 60ml gin to 10-12ml vermouth). 'Extra dry' versions use almost no vermouth, which loses the aromatic complexity vermouth provides. 'Wet' Martinis use 2:1 or 3:1, which produces a softer, more aromatic drink. Start at 5:1 and adjust to taste.
+Should a Martini be shaken or stirred?
Stirred. Shaking aerates the cocktail, makes it cloudy, and bruises the spirit (a real effect — agitation introduces oxygen which dulls flavour). James Bond famously asked his shaken; cocktail historians have been correcting him for decades. Stir for 30-40 seconds in a mixing glass; the result is silky and clear.
+What's the best gin for a Martini?
It depends on the style of Martini you want. Hendrick's makes a famously distinctive cucumber-led Martini. The Botanist produces a more complex, herbal Martini. Tanqueray No. Ten is the international benchmark. For a budget option, Caorunn at £27 makes a respectable everyday Martini. Try several with the same recipe and pick your preference.
+Should I use lemon or olives?
Choose one — they pair differently. Lemon peel emphasises citrus and is the cleanest garnish; olives push the drink savoury and create a Dirty Martini if brine is added. Cucumber works only with Hendrick's. Never combine garnishes in a single Martini.
+Can I make a Martini with vodka instead of gin?
Yes — that's a Vodka Martini, a different drink. The Martini originally was a gin drink; the vodka version became popular in the mid-20th century. Both are correct but they taste completely different. Order a 'Martini' in most cocktail bars and you'll get gin by default; specify 'Vodka Martini' if you want vodka.
+How long does an opened bottle of vermouth keep?
4-6 weeks refrigerated. Vermouth is fortified wine, not spirits — it oxidises like wine once opened. Buy small bottles (35cl rather than 70cl), keep them in the fridge, and replace monthly. This single change improves home Martinis more than any other.
Related cocktails
Negroni
The Negroni is the bitter, complex, intensely red Italian classic — gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, equal parts. Served over a large ice cube with an orange peel. One of the few cocktails where Scotland's juniper-forward gins (The Botanist, classic London Dry-style Scottish gins) genuinely outperform the international standards. The right showcase for a serious Scottish gin.
Scotch Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is the oldest named cocktail still drunk regularly — Scotch (or bourbon, traditionally), sugar, bitters, ice, orange twist. The Scotch version is gentler and more aromatic than its bourbon cousin, but no less classic. Made properly it is the purest expression of what a whisky cocktail can be: spirit, slightly sweetened, slightly bitter, slowly diluted.
Manhattan
The Manhattan is the American whisky cocktail the Scottish Rob Roy is built on — rye (traditionally) or bourbon, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters, stirred and served up with a cherry. Created in the 1870s and the template against which every other 'spirit + vermouth + bitters' cocktail measures itself. If your home bar is built around Scotch rather than American whisky, the Rob Roy (same recipe, Scotch base) is the better drink to make. We cover both — start here for the original, see the Rob Roy guide for the Scottish version.
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