There is a rampant discussion in the world of mixology about what a real martini is. One thing that is clear, the original, or pure martini has spawned a fabulous amount of innovation and this has resulted in the Canadian Icewine martini, the most delicious variation of martini yet.
The absolute purists will say that the only valid martini is a mixture of gin and vermouth, stirred, and garnished with an olive. Nothing else is a martini, they demand. Not Icewine, not vodka, not anything else. The wonderful thing is that the ’real’ martini is lost in time and lore, so in the words of my uncle who claims to know such things, “what follows is as close to the truth as I can remember”.
In the late 1800s, according to the New and Improved Illustrated Bartending Manual, was simply 1/3 Vermouth, 2/3 Gin, and a dash of orange bitters.
Then in 1954, along came James Bond in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale and the evolution of the martini took a giant leap with the introducing of a novel form of the drink and Bond’s justification.
"A dry martini," he said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."
"Oui, monsieur."
"Just a moment. Three measure of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large, thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"
"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.
Bond laughed.
"When I'm..er..concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."
As the legend grew, the martini evolved into variations like:
* Vodka martini: simply vodka and vermouth
* In and out martini: Pour vermouth into the glass, swirl, pour the vermouth out, pour in the gin, and serve. (President Nixon liked this one)
* A Churchill is even dryer. Stir the gin, wave an unopened bottle of vermouth over the glass or place the stopper of a vermouth bottle in the opposite corner of the room.
* The Roosevelt is a regular martini that President Roosevelt enjoyed in the White House after the repeal of Prohibition. It is simply a regular martini with two olives for a garnish instead of one. In some circles, an even number of olives is a sign of bad luck. Roosevelt also liked a Dirty Martini, which was simply a regular martini with olive brine added.
* Naked or Diamond martini is made without ice after chilling the glass and ingredients.
* A Sweet martini is made with sweet red vermouth, and may be garnished with a maraschino cherry instead of an olive.
* A dry martini refers to less vermouth in the mix
* A burnt martini (also smoky martini) uses scotch instead of vermouth, and can vary in flavour according to the attributes of the scotch used.
And so on. Many, many variations have been tried and tasted and the variations have filled books. Martinis are potent and it is a wonder anyone has ever finished a book on Martinis. I think that Jimmy Buffett expressed this in his song about William Faulkner,“If I Could Just Get It Down on Paper”:
If I could just get it on paper The things that have happened tonight That seems to me to be the big key I'm havin' too good a time to ever turn Out the lights…
Simple words can become clever phrases And chapters could turn into books Yes if I could just get it on paper But it's harder than it ever looks
It was important to talk about the origins of the Martini before introducing the Icewine martini.
Why?
The martini is a revered and treasured drink that has enjoyed a renaissance over the past few years. For such a simple drink, ‘renaissance’ means that mixologists have gotten creative with new products like flavoured vodkas, new brands, and Icewine, and this has energized innovation. The winemakers who specialize in Canadian Icewine are using Icewine to further this innovation.
Then along came Canada’s golden treasure, Icewine. Canadian Icewine has replaced maple syrup as the international food symbol of Canada. Bartenders around the world have began to experiment with this Icewine as a new, sweet, cold and exotic ingredient. The origin of the Icewine martini is lost in lore, but there is no doubt that the Icewine martini can rightfully take its place a descendant and welcome variation of the martini.
In Part 2 of The Evolution of the Icewine Martini , we’ll discover how Canada’s liquid gold, Icewine has transformed the Martini yet further than Mr. Bond or Mr. Fleming ever dreamed.
Phil Cheevers is the manager of VinoCanada, a leading exporter of Canadian wines to the world. The Essential Canadian Icewine Companion is a FREE eBook which is downloadable at the VinoCanada website
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