Martini (Dry) — martini is where bartenders either build trust or lose

The martini is where bartenders either build trust or lose it. Temperature beats technique every time.

Ingredients

• ½ oz gin
• 1 oz dry vermouth
• Garnish: a lemon peel

Method

Grab your mixing glass and fill it with ice. Add the vermouth first, then the gin. This isn’t just tradition — starting with vermouth means it coats the ice and blends better. Stir for thirty seconds until the glass frosts over in your hand. That frost tells you it’s cold enough and diluted enough. Strain into a chilled coupe. Now for the lemon peel — hold it over the drink, skin side down, and give it a good squeeze. You should see the oils spray across the surface. That’s expressing the oils, and it’s not optional. The citrus oils don’t just smell good — they change how the gin tastes on your tongue. Drop the peel in the drink.

Serve

Serve this up in a coupe — no ice. The expressed lemon peel is your garnish and your aromatic.

Pro Tip

The biggest mistake people make is under-stirring. Thirty seconds feels like forever when you’re stirring, but that’s how long it takes to get the temperature and dilution right. Count Mississippi if you have to. Also, chill your glass. An unchilled glass will warm your perfectly made martini in about thirty seconds. Stick it in the freezer while you stir, or fill it with ice water while you work.