I *am* a fan of G&Ts but I still find pretty much straight gin to be undrinkable.

Anyway, I think a 3/1 would work on a gin that’s heavy on the botanical, like a Tanqueray. But with something more subtle, like the Bombay Sapphire, a 4/1 seems ideal.

And to give it just a little kick, I prefer jalepeno stuffed olive.

Gotta love your 2-to-1 ratio. I find that different gins often lean towards different ratios. A friend of mine is coming out with a new gin soon, and I find that his gin doesn’t work well at my normal 3-to-1 or 2-to-1 ratios… but it works wonderfully at a 50/50.

The “common” Dry Gin Martini served in bars these days is pretty much as you describe, just wet the icecubes with vermouth (if even that much). It is so much the “norm” that I frankly would see it as inappropriate for a bartender (who did not know my tastes) to make me a “proper” Martini if I just simply ordered a “Dry Martini”, simply because that is not what the normal customer would be expecting.

If I’m sitting at the bar, and the bartender has the time to really register what I’m asking for, I’ll specify the ratios I want to him/her. If I’m ordering from a cocktail server, or if the bar is too busy, I’ll order a “Gin Martini, Extra Wet”, and that usually comes pretty close, especially if I have my little vial of orange bitters with which to appropriately enhance the drink once it is delivered.

As for glassware… I love finding and using cocktail glasses that aren’t quite the normal straight-sided “V” glasses. Several glass companies now carry a line of cocktail glasses that have an inward flair right at the top of the glass which helps a lot. Plus there are several companies coming out with very unique glasses that I just adore. Originally there wasn’t a “stock” glass for cocktails, bars would use whatever glassware from their collection that they felt like, often choosing various types and shapes of wine, sherry, or port glasses, which would work quite well.

I often recommend people experiment with using “anything but the normal” glassware for serving their cocktails in. Gary Regan loves using champagne flutes for cocktails. Audrey Saunders, at the Pegu Club in New York, spent months searching out what she felt was the right glassware for her drinks. Suite 410 in Seattle uses an elegant “flaired” champagne flute for many of their cocktails (looks sort of like a tall/narrow “V” glass).

-Robert

I did the experimentation thing, and concluded that I like a 2:1 gin to vermouth ratio. This is the only type that I drink at home, and I rarely order Martinis out.

However, I was on a business trip a few months ago and naively ordered a “Dry Martini” at the hotel bar. It didn’t taste right at all. Then I looked over at the bar and discovered why. The bartender’s techinique was to pour a shot of vermouth into an ice-filled glass, dump the ice and vermouth into the sink, then fill the glass with cold gin. Blasphemous!

Lesson learned: You can ‘t be too specific when ordering your Martini…even if it makes you sound like a pretentious ass.

BTW…Martini is my favorite cocktail, but the one thing that I don’t like about it is the glass. It seems like the slightest movement sends the drink spilling onto your shirt. Thank God it’s a clear drink. I feel sorry for those who drink cranberry Martinis.

Sal