The martini is one of the world’s most popular cocktails and especially so in the United States. The martini was born in the late 1800s, either in San Francisco or Manhattan. Both locales claim ownership of the first martini, but an official recipe did not exist until esteemed bartender Harry Johnson published the official recipe in his 1888 Bartender’s Manual. The original recipe relied heavily on gin, vermouth, and curacao with a dash of bitters and lots of shaved ice.
Evolution of the Martini Cocktail
Today, more than 50 martini recipes exist, including the popular vodka martini. Gin remains a staple of the original martini recipe, but vodka gives the cocktail an entirely new flavor twist. Gin gives the martini a distinct aroma and a complex flavor versus vodka, while vodka offers a clean drink that enables the vermouth’s flavor to show itself more on your palette.
The vodka martini encountered significant opposition among many bartenders and drinkers upon its creation in the early 1950s. Once again, its exact origins are unknown but involve the usual suspects in California and New York. The vodka version of the popular drink languished somewhat for decades, and even the esteemed martini took a plunge in popularity when wine and spritzers became very popular during the 1970s.
Flavored Varieties Resurrected the Vodka Martini
The surging popularity of wine and spritzers waned in the early 2000s, and flavored vodkas replaced them as preferred drinks in many bars across the United States. Cocktails that used flavored vodkas likewise rose in popularity, including the dirty vodka martini. The “dirty” refers to the lack of clarity of traditional vodka and the cloudy nature of the dirty vodka martini.
The dirty vodka variety of the martini made it possible to customize and personalize the cocktail to an individual’s preference. Yet, the standard martini recipe largely remained with vodka replacing the gin. The dirty martini has become a cocktail standard, but the clear variety, likewise, has endured in popularity. The United States has become a nation in which vodka is very popular, with brands like Absolut helping to maintain the momentum of the spirit’s popularity.
Vermouth Variations and Vodka Martinis
Just as vodka has evolved with many flavorful innovations, so has another key ingredient in the vodka martini. Vermouth has many varieties with different flavor profiles, which has the potential to greatly affect the flavor of martinis in which they are used. Using a traditional and clear vodka will help the vermouth to determine the vodka martini’s flavor profile.
The varied vermouth flavors have not caused the demise of the dirty vodka martini. Instead, they help to boost the popularity of martini drinks in general. After all, the greater the variety of martinis, the more likely it is for someone to find the ideal cocktail. The martini remains a wildly popular cocktail in the United States and around the globe. The addition of the dirty martini and the flavorful vermouth ingredients virtually ensure the cocktail will stay popular well into the foreseeable future.
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