Our friend Ron and his daughter Stephanie like to order their Martinis with extra olives. The restaurant generally delivers the side of olives in a shot glass.

Joining them in this tradition inspired today’s two-part tip:

 
When a pitted, pimento-stuffed olive was first used to garnish a Martini, the olive selection was far less than it is today.

Today, artisan producers offer more than a dozen stuffed olive options:

 
Check out the stuffed olives from Mezzetta, and browse Amazon.com for other stuffed olive options.

Then, start mixing. The classic Martini proportion is is 1 part London dry gin to .25 part dry vermouth. Shake with ice and strain into a Martini glass. Don’t have Martini glasses? Try a small wine goblet.\
Below:

The history of the Martini.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of gin.

> The different types (expressions) of gin.

The year’s 14 gin holidays.
 
THE HISTORY OF THE MARTINI

While the drink may date back to Gold Rush-era San Francisco, in 1850, a claim is made by the city of Martinez, California, northwest of San Francisco. (Article continues below.)

[1] Martini with a side of olives (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steak House).

[2] The classic Martini olive is stuffed with pimento (photo by Kyle May | Wikimedia).

The claim is that the Martinez—the predecessor of the Martini—was created there, by a bartender named Julio Richelieu. The recipe called for gin and sweet vermouth instead of dry vermouth, plus bitters and an olive. A recipe for the Martinez was first published in 1867, in “The Bartenders Guide.”

A 1907 cocktail recipe book, “The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them,” is the first printed reference we have for a Dry Martini Cocktail. Made with gin and dry French vermouth, served with lemon peel and an olive. It credits a bartender 375 miles south of Martinez, in Los Angeles.

The history of the Martini continues here, including James Bond’s Vesper Martini and other predecessors.

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*We’ve had some pretty disappointing cheese-stuffed olives: The cubes of cheese have been rubbery and almost tasteless. If you have that experience, look for Divina and Mezzetta brands.
 
 

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