This ratio thing......

[NightShiftCharlie]

I've recently started to expand my alcoholic horizons past rum and Cokes and beer, and I'm starting to make cocktails. The reason my first gin and vodka martinis were shit was probably due to the ratio. I was using a half-ounce of Martini & Rossi Dry to one and a half ounces of Tanqueray or Smirmoff, a 3 to 1 ratio, I believe. Would a 4 to 1 ratio be a quarter-ounce of vermouth to the one and a half ounces of gin or vodka, or should I just increase the gin or vodka to 2 ounces? And what are say, 6 to 1 or 10 to 1 ratios mean? Any serious help appreciated. Thanks!

[peetie44]

I don't make a lot of martinis but to my taste, I find that a little vermouth tends to go a long way. I'm talking eye-dropper amounts.

Try starting with a very high gin/vodka to vermouth ratio. Then after you've shaken your batch, sample a little, ad a bit more vermouth to the mix according and then shake and taste again...eventually, you'll find your ratio. There are several people on here much more expert in martini prep than myself but this is what I would do to find the correct balance.

[Resident Asshole]

Peetie is right. Matter of fact, one of the bartenders that taught me puts his vermouth in a spray bottle and he just sprays the inside of the glass and that's all the vermouth he uses.

If someone says it is too dry, he can always add more vermouth. I would recommend the same for you. I once had a bartender make me a Manhattan with 1/2 whiskey and 1/2 sweet vermouth. OMG, it was about the worst drink I've ever had but I drank it anyway b/c it was free and I didn't want to waste the whiskey.

[ivan]

The reason my first gin and vodka martinis were shit was probably due to the ratio. I was using a half-ounce of Martini & Rossi Dry to one and a half ounces of Tanqueray or Smirmoff, a 3 to 1 ratio, I believe.

Yes, that's a 3 to 1 ratio.

Would a 4 to 1 ratio be a quarter-ounce of vermouth to the one and a half ounces of gin or vodka, or should I just increase the gin or vodka to 2 ounces? And what are say, 6 to 1 or 10 to 1 ratios mean? Any serious help appreciated. Thanks!

Ratios are proportions. "X to Y" means it would take X amounts of your first ingredient to reach Y amounts of your second. Your early ratio was 3 to 1 because 3 one-half ounce servings equals 1 one-and-a-half ounce serving. If you wanted a 4 to 1, the easiest way to explain it would be a half-ounce of vermouth to 2 ounces of gin. 4 halves = 2 wholes, so 4 to 1.

A quarter ounce of vermouth to 1.5 oz gin would be a 6 to 1 ratio. Think about money- if you got 6 quarters, you've got $1.50. An ounce is a dollar.

I've had success with martinis by putting about a half-ounce of vermouth on the ice in the shaker, pouring the liquid out, dumping in two ounces of gin, and then shaking for about 20 seconds. Quite dry, but a little vermouth taste comes through.

This concludes today's episode of "Math and Mixing with ivan".

[Wingman]

and you people call yourself drunks.

if it's too vermouthy, add more vodka or gin!

but yeah, churchill would hold the gin bottle towards france...that's how much vermouth he put in his martinis. just sayin'.

[Gin McGuinness]

The McG bar has a mister just for this reason. Be sure to chill the glass and mist before pouring in your fantastic cocktail. We have martinis at least once week around here. Even when served in the wrong glass due to the dishwasher being asleep, Palmy and I have enjoyed the finest martinis at the hand of moi. Leave Tanqueray or Smirmoff for mixing with juices or tonic. Stick to the boutique gins for over the top goodness and you'll be pleasantly pleased.

McG House Martini
2 shots of gin, 1 bar spoon of brine, stirred over crushed ice, mist frozen glass with M & R dry, strain mixture into frosty glass and serve with 3 olives (almond or jalapeno stuffed usually).

I don't bother making large quantities because the art is lost; quality over quantity.

[Fabricsoftner]

First of all get rid of the vodka. It's only a martini if it has gin.

Fill the shaker with about an handful of ice, and add about 1/2 oz of dry vermouth. Shake and strain. Whatever sticks to the ice is all the vermouth you need. Add about 3 oz of gin, stir for 30 seconds, and strain into a glass. Add an olive. Drink, repeat.

[captain gonzo]

Use Noilly Prat vermouth as its nicer too.

Keep experimenting until you find what you like, and as stated before only use gin never vodka.

[NightShiftCharlie]

Thanks for all the advice. When I first made them a few weeks ago, it was mostly to see if I liked them (even with the shit ratios I used, I could still get more of the gin martini down than the vodka one), but a part of me figured that if I could get martinis right, I could clear many hurdles, cocktail-wise. At least the Tanqueray and Smirnoff didn't go to waste - on the same day, I found I like G&Ts, and of all the vodkas I've tried (which includes Ketel One, but not Stoli yet), Smirnoff is still the best vodka for my Monday Morning Screw(driver). I'll try the 4 to 1 and 6 to 1 (finally found the 10 to 1 version in a bartenders handbook I bought over ten years ago) with Tanker Ray's, and maybe score a couple of airplane bottles of Sapphire (I'll have to wait for my next paycheck to get the full bottle).
Which leads me to the garnish. I don't care too much for olives (unlike my kid brother, who loves 'em), and I hate onions (so no Gibsons), and I can't make twists yet (besides, what do you do with the rest of the lemon or lime?). What other garnishes would work with martinis, or should I just drink them naked? Naked martini - now THAT'S a damn good name for a rock band!

[kowalski]

McG House Martini
2 shots of gin, 1 bar spoon of brine, stirred over crushed ice, mist frozen glass with M & R dry, strain mixture into frosty glass and serve with 3 olives (almond or jalapeno stuffed usually).

I don't bother making large quantities because the art is lost; quality over quantity.

when you say brine, do you mean that salty vinigar water stuff? I've never heard of adding that - what difference does it make?

[Gin McGuinness]

McG House Martini
2 shots of gin, 1 bar spoon of brine, stirred over crushed ice, mist frozen glass with M & R dry, strain mixture into frosty glass and serve with 3 olives (almond or jalapeno stuffed usually).

I don't bother making large quantities because the art is lost; quality over quantity.

when you say brine, do you mean that salty vinigar water stuff? I've never heard of adding that - what difference does it make?

makes it "dirty" of course

[Gin McGuinness]

Which leads me to the garnish. I don't care too much for olives (unlike my kid brother, who loves 'em), and I hate onions (so no Gibsons), and I can't make twists yet (besides, what do you do with the rest of the lemon or lime?). What other garnishes would work with martinis, or should I just drink them naked? Naked martini - now THAT'S a damn good name for a rock band!

Good on ya for experimenting. For twists, I use a special tool. I typically twist up the entire lemon or enough to keep in a dish of water in the fridge. That way you have several nights of twisted drinks without spending too much time on your prep. The water keeps it from shrinking but a friend of mine freezes them for future use. I don't have the patience to wait for them to defrost.

As for additional garishes.... I've seen chili padi peppers sitting on the rim of the glass, but I don't recommend nibbling on them unless you have a beer back!

[Chimneyfish]

I dunno I just listen to Sirius

[ThirstyDrunk]

I dunno I just listen to Sirius

HAH! You drunk.

[NightShiftCharlie]

In the guide I found the 10 to 1 ratio in, I also found how to make twists. Getting a peeler tomorrow, definitely testing ratios this week. Still, about the rest of the lemon. Would, say, cutting the peeled lemon in slices, then in chunks like pineapples work, or would a lemon chunk on a toothpick just make it a gin Lemon Drop?