Perfect Martini

Name: Perfect Martini
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: London dry gin; Dry vermouth; Sweet vermouth; Orange bitters; Lemon twist

Gin with equal dry and sweet vermouth.

3 min Serves 1 ~29% ABV

Make

Ingredients

2.5 oz
0.25 oz
0.25 oz
(optional)1 dash
(garnish)

Glassware:

Ice: None (served up)

Equipment: Mixing glass, Hawthorne strainer, Jigger, Bar spoon

Steps

1Stir gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, and orange bitters (if using) with ice for 30 seconds.
2Strain into a chilled coupe.
3Express the lemon twist over the drink and garnish.

Garnish: Lemon twist

Story

The earliest Martini recipes, dating back to the 1880s, called for a few dashes of orange bitters as standard practice -- it mostly disappeared because Prohibition wiped out nearly every bitters brand, and the drier, bitters-free gin-and-vermouth style that survived just stuck. This version keeps the bitters as an optional nod to that original formula, splits the vermouth evenly between dry and sweet the way "Perfect" always does, and swaps the usual orange peel or olive for a lemon twist.

Please enjoy responsibly. Read our responsible-use notice.