James Bond, Ernest Hemingway and Richard M. Nixon all had one thing in common — they all loved a great martini. Two ounces of gin, a splash of dry vermouth and an olive served in a well-chilled glass may sound plain, but it is a cocktail with subtle complexity that has been enjoyed for more than a century.
So many stories exist about the origin of the martini, no one knows exactly where it started, but it has taken its place as a drink with a style, attitude and refinement all its own.
“A lot of cities claim to be the birth place of the martini,” said Laurel Dennis, an owner of Churchill’s Premium Cigars and Elixirs on Jefferson Highway. “But nobody knows where the original recipe came from.”
According to www.cocktailtimes.com, the martini could have grown out of a drink called the Martinez in 1862. The Martinez was made of four parts sweet vermouth and one part gin. Many changes throughout the years yielded today’s recipe, according to the Web site.
It is also possible the drink was named after the Martini and Henry rifle the British army used around 1871. According to the Web site, both the rifle and drink “shared a strong kick.”
However, a more popular story, the site claims, is that it was invented by Martini di Arma di Taggia, head bartender at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York around 1911. He mixed equal parts of gin and vermouth with orange bitters and served in a chilled glass. Later, bar patrons added the olive for garnish, creating the modern martini.
The drink was a staple of the 1950s “cocktail hour” according to www.where-dallas.com, but the 1960s and 1970s made the drink legendary with the popular two-martini lunch. According to the site, the martini seemed to lose its appeal by the 1980s and was considered outdated or old-fashioned by the new generation. However, since the early 1990s, the martini has regained popularity.
Part of the martini’s resurgence is due to the HBO series “Sex and the City,” according to www.where-dallas.com. Premiering in 1998, the show singlehandedly brought the Apple Martini and Cosmopolitan back into vogue, according the site.
“A martini used to be your dad’s drink,” said Dennis. “And you didn’t want to drink your dad’s drink, but now a martini is fashionable.”
With the martini’s revival came many innovations to the drink which have challenged the basis of what makes a true martini. A martini comes in many variations nowadays including the Apple Martini, the Chocolate Martini and the Cosmopolitan. There’s even a martini called “The Dirty Girl Scout.”
But according to Bryan Dykes, owner of Avoyelles on the River, bars mislead their patrons of what a traditional martini is by serving specialty drinks under the Martini moniker.
“Traditionally, martinis are made with gin, vermouth and shaken well,” said Pamela Bishop, catering director and bartender at Avoyelles on the River, located downtown on Third Street. “But lately the martini has evolved into a concoction of liquor served in a pretty glass.”