Charleston Living Magazine Nov-Dec 2021
We end the year with a bang - festive holiday tablescapes to help set the table for entertaining, and holiday fashion for the latest trends in what to wear this season. We also showcase our top picks for dining over the holidays.
We end the year with a bang - festive holiday tablescapes to help set the table for entertaining, and holiday fashion for the latest trends in what to wear this season. We also showcase our top picks for dining over the holidays.
- No tags were found...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
THE LAST REFLECTION<br />
Making a Martini<br />
By ANNE WOLFE POSTIC<br />
“This is not the first time you’ve made<br />
a martini, is it?”<br />
No, it was not, and the inquiry from our neighbor<br />
was charming. I adore a nice martini, and have been<br />
making them for longer than I’d like to admit. There<br />
are few things more delightful than having a few<br />
people over for drinks and snacks. Simplicity is key,<br />
and a martini leaves a host free to enjoy her guests<br />
instead of laboring behind the bar.<br />
Bartending my way through graduate school, I concluded that anyone<br />
who asked for a very, very dry martini really wanted a shot. They just<br />
didn’t want to admit it. Some of those barflies wanted a martini so dry<br />
that all a bartender had to do was think about vermouth while pouring a<br />
slug of chilled vodka or gin into a fancy glass. Only olives differentiated<br />
the cocktail from a shot. Bartenders work for tips, so I served them with<br />
a smile, suppressing the urge to call it like I saw it.<br />
Those barflies are owed an apology because, boy, was I ever wrong.<br />
Dry or not, a good martini is a true delight. Though the recipe is simple,<br />
there are options.<br />
Shaken or stirred. Experts say James Bond ruined this for everyone.<br />
Cocktails that contain mostly alcohol should be stirred so as not to dilute<br />
the taste. Only cocktails with egg white, fruit juices, or syrup should be<br />
shaken to blend the multiple ingredients and prevent separating. I prefer<br />
my martini stirred, but if you like a slightly diluted, very chilled martini,<br />
shake away! It’s your drink, and you should enjoy it because you’re only<br />
having one (more on that later).<br />
Vodka or gin. Gin is the classic choice, but a lot of people prefer vodka,<br />
including yours truly. Besides, there’s always room in the freezer for a<br />
bottle of vodka, especially if you keep it there to make pie crust. (Hot<br />
tip: Use chilled vodka instead of water for a flakier crust. The alcohol<br />
evaporates in cooking, limiting gluten development that can make pastry<br />
tough. But I digress.) Once again, as this is your cocktail, make it with<br />
whatever liquor you prefer. This is a good time to splurge on something<br />
good, like Grey Goose or potato-based Chopin. You know what else<br />
works? Good old Smirnoff.<br />
Dry or very dry. Or not so dry. A dry martini contains very little vermouth,<br />
usually about a fifth of the volume of vodka or gin. For a bonedry<br />
martini, splash some vermouth into the glass and dump it out. I like<br />
mine dry-ish, about one part vermouth to four or five parts vodka. Noilly<br />
Prat is perfectly lovely and not terribly expensive. Bonus: Keep it in the<br />
fridge to use when a recipe calls for white wine, and you don’t want to<br />
120 | <strong>Charleston</strong><strong>Living</strong>Mag.com<br />
open a bottle. Though once the vermouth is out, you might want to sip a<br />
martini while you cook, an experience I personally enjoy.<br />
Dirty or not. A dirty martini contains a splash of olive brine. Yum.<br />
Olives and olive brine. Look for olives with no added oil because who<br />
wants a cocktail that looks like a chemical spill? Pimiento stuffed olives<br />
are classic, but olives stuffed with blue cheese, jalapeños, or garlic are a<br />
delight. Just make sure to check the label for added oil.<br />
For a crowd, multiply the recipe and serve in a small pitcher, which<br />
you can keep in the fridge or on ice. Mix the vermouth and gin or vodka,<br />
then leave a pitcher of olive brine on the side, as well as olives and possibly<br />
a few twists of lemon to garnish according to individual preferences.<br />
Store any leftovers in a thermos in the freezer for when you want<br />
a surprise martini.<br />
Given its alcohol content, a martini should be savored. You are too<br />
sophisticated for a shot. But make it as large as you like, especially if you<br />
plan to sip it for an hour while you cook like I do. (Add ice if it gets too<br />
warm.) I never have more than one because this is not a drink for a meal.<br />
It’s an aperitivo, meant to be enjoyed on its own or with a light snack.<br />
One Large Martini for the Chef<br />
Ingredients:<br />
2 ounces vodka or gin from the freezer<br />
1/3 to 1/2 ounce dry vermouth<br />
1/2 ounce olive brine<br />
1 or more blue cheese stuffed olives<br />
Instructions:<br />
Pour vodka or gin and vermouth into a tall glass over ice.<br />
Stir or swirl the glass gently until completely blended and icy cold.<br />
Strain into a small glass, chilled if you’re fancy.<br />
Add olive brine and olives.<br />
Extra credit: Enjoy your aperitivo like an Italian, served<br />
with a handful of potato chips on the side, preferably<br />
in a little sterling silver bowl, like that one you got<br />
from your grandmother that you never use. Cin cin! •