IBA
Dry Martini – IBA
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 37% ABV ∙
A stirred spirit-forward classic of London dry gin and a small measure of dry vermouth, the Dry Martini is one of the IBA's official "Unforgettables." Cold and silky, with juniper leading and only a whisper of herbal vermouth beneath — a bracing pour for a slow, formal aperitif hour.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 60 mlDry vermouth 10 ml
- Strain into the chilled martini cocktail glass
- Squeeze oil from lemon peel onto the drink, or garnish with an olive if requested
Tips
- Stir gin and vermouth with large ice cubes for about 30 seconds; shaking bruises the gin and clouds the drink with ice shards.
- Chill the mixing glass and cocktail glass beforehand so the stirred drink stays cold without over-diluting from extra ice contact.
- Express the lemon twist's oils over the surface by pinching the peel skin-side down near the rim, then drop it in or discard.
- Strain through a Hawthorne and fine strainer together to catch ice shards, keeping the 6:1 gin-to-vermouth pour crystal clear in the glass.
History
The Dry Martini's exact origin is disputed among cocktail historians, with several rival stories in circulation. One traces it to the Martinez, a sweeter gin-and-vermouth drink first recorded in O.H. Byron's 1884 Modern Bartenders' Guide and popularly linked to a gold miner celebrating a strike near Martinez, California, though this Gold Rush tale cannot be documented. Another credits a bartender at New York's Knickerbocker Hotel, sometimes named as Martini di Arma di Taggia, with creating the drink around 1911-1912 for John D. Rockefeller. A further theory ties the name to the Italian Martini vermouth brand rather than to any single inventor. Regardless of origin story, the drink grew progressively drier through the late 1800s and early 1900s, moving from the sweet, Old Tom-based Martinez toward the gin-forward, dry-vermouth formula that became codified as the modern Dry Martini; the 1907 guide by San Francisco bartender William Boothby recorded an early "Dry Martini Cocktail" credited to Charlie Shaw of Los Angeles. This IBA-listed version reflects that standardized dry formula of gin stirred with a small proportion of dry vermouth, the ratio having grown steadily leaner over the decades as public taste favored drier styles.
