Simonson - The martini cocktail: a meditation on the worlds greatest drink, with recipes

Acknowledgments

I was walking down Fourteenth Street, in Manhattan, during an unseasonably warm afternoon on February 2, 2017, when, on a whim, I emailed Emily Timberlake, my editor at Ten Speed Press. I wonder if its time for a new Martini book? I wrote. She responded one hour and forty minutes later: Lets do it!

Its the quickest book pitch turnaround Ive ever experienced. For this I thank her, and her boss, publisher Aaron Wehner, deeply. I also humbly thank Julie Bennett and Ashley Pierce, who took over as editors when the beloved and much-missed Emily left the Ten Speed fold; as well as the rest of the Ten Speed team; and Lizzie Munro, who furnished all the beautiful photos herein.

I would also like to thank my agent, David Black, who always has my back, and ever lends a sympathetic ear, and all the helpful folks over at the Black Agency.

Additional thanks to Amber Appelbaum, Talia Baiocchi, Douglas Biederbeck, Greg Boehm, Dmaris Castellanos, Toby Cecchini and St. John Frizell (for their exquisite cocktail styling), Brother Cleve, Sarah Coffin, Barnaby Conrad III, Federico Cuco, Dale DeGroff, Kevin Denton, Martin The Librarian Doudoroff, Lowell Edmunds, William Elliott, Simon Ford, Chloe Frechette, Kenta Goto, Philip Greene, Allison Hamlin, Bobby Heugel, John Kass, Allen Katz, Jim Kearns, Marty Marcuccilli, Ryan Maybee, Francois Monti, Will Nazar, Nicolas Palazzi, Troy Patterson, Del Pedro, Agostino Perrone, Adam Platt, Bianca Prum, Leonid Rath, Rodolfo Reich, Andy Rieger, Audrey Saunders, Adam Schuman, Anna Scudellari, Thomas Waugh, Christine Wiseman, David Wondrich, and Naren Young. I also thank the staffs at the destination Martini bars and restaurants: Bix, Connaught Bar, Dry Martini, Dukes Bar, the Bar at the Grill, Harrys Bar in Venice, Maison Premiere, Musso & Frank Grill, Pegu Club, and Tongue-Cut Sparrow.

Thanks, also, to my father, Robert Odin Simonson Sr., for his Martini memories, and for the love and support he has shown me over the years. Finally, my love and thanks to the two most important people in my world, my son, Asher, and my love and soulmate, Mary Kate Murray.

About the Author

ROBERT SIMONSON writes about cocktails, spirits, bars, and bartenders for the New York Times. He is also contributing editor and columnist at PUNCH. His books include The Old-Fashioned, A Proper Drink, and 3-Ingredient Cocktails, which was nominated for a 2018 James Beard Award. He was also a primary contributor to The Essential New York Times Book of Cocktails. His work, which has also appeared in Saveur, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, New York magazine, and Lucky Peach, has been nominated for a total of ten Spirited Awards and two IACP Awards. A native of Wisconsin, he lives in Brooklyn.

Appendix 1: Martini Accoutrements

Bergamot-Pomelo Tincture

6 bergamots

1 (750-ml) bottle high-proof spirit (preferably Everclear)

2 pomelos

Peel the bergamots and pomelos, saving the peels. Crush the peels a bit and place them into a 1-quart jar. Fill the jar with a high-proof spirit and leave to infuse for up to 1 week. Strain the liquid from the peels and keep covered, in the refrigerator, up to 3 months.

Charred OnionInfused Dry Vermouth

2 onions, chopped

1 (750-ml) bottle dry vermouth (preferably Noilly Prat)

If you have an open-flame grill, grill the onions until translucent. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 350F, spread out the onions on a baking sheet, and bake until translucent. Raise the heat to 500F and cook until the edges of the onions begin to blacken (it is okay if some pieces char completely). Remove from the grill or oven and let cool completely. Put the onions into a 1-quart jar with a lid, and add the dry vermouth. Let the vermouth infuse for 24 hours. Strain through a chinois, transfer to a clean bottle, and refrigerate. The infused vermouth will keep, covered, for up to 2 weeks.

House-Brined Olives

Makes 1 quart

907 grams Cerignola olives

16 ounces olive brine (reserved from the Cerignola olive jars)

16 ounces Dolin blanc vermouth

16 ounces Dolin dry vermouth

22 grams juniper berries

11 grams cassia bark

7 grams fresh rosemary

14 grams lemon peel

14 grams orange peel

8 grams grapefruit peel

Combine the ingredients in a jar and seal with a lid. Let sit for at least 24 hours at room temperature before using. Once opened, store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Toasted Fennel Tincture

Makes 8 ounces

cup fennel seeds

8 ounces high-proof vodka

Warm a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Toast the fennel seeds until fragrant. Let cool and combine them with the vodka in an airtight container for 7 days. Strain into a clean bottle and store at room temperature for up to 6 months.

Appendix 2: Martini Quotes

Most books about the Martini become compendiums of witty quotes about the drinkoften the same witty quotes, repeated again and again, book after book. Ive tried to keep such quotes to a minimum in this text, so as not to overly tread on old ground. Still, everyone loves a good Martini quip. And many of them remain quite droll, even after a thousand tellings. So, Ive piled them all into this appendixsome familiar, some not, some old, some freshin case youd like to trot out one or two at your next Martini party. (Please say you do have a Martini party in your near future.)

I never go jogging, it makes me spill my Martini.

George Burns

Martinis are for adults contemplating power, sexual possibilities, or death.

Barnaby Conrad III

[The] supreme American gift to world culture.

Bernard DeVoto

When I have one Martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller. When I have a second, I feel superlative. When I have more, theres no holding me.

William Faulkner

Americas lethal weapon.

Nikita Khrushchev

Do not allow children to mix Dry Martinis. It is unseemly and they use too much vermouth.

Steve Allen

Martinis are the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet.

H. L. Mencken

He knows just how I like my Martinifull of alcohol.

Homer Simpson

Well, all right, but it is cold on the stomach.

Joseph Stalin, upon first trying a Martini

One Martini is all right. Two are too many, and three are not enough.

James Thurber

[A Martini] should be like sipping on a cool cloud.

Leon Uris

A woman with six Martinis can ruin a city.

Clifford Odets

[The Martini] exists to decapitate the day and fertilize the evening with its blood.

David Wondrich

The Martini menaces our civilization as much as the atom bomb. It may be slower, but eventual destruction will be just as absolute.