Comments on: Friday Cocktail Blogging: The Martini Debate

By: FCB: Gourmet 50’s Cocktails – Frangipani « Recurring Decimals…..

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:39:12 +0000

[...] Being Gourmet magazine, they also obviously get their stuff right: Martini is to be stirred (not shaken), the vermouth is ‘to taste’ (and they stress this fact) with nary a mention of vodka. We can but only appreciate. [...]

By: Friday Cocktail Blogging: The Manhattan « Recurring Decimals…..

Friday Cocktail Blogging: The Manhattan « Recurring Decimals….. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:25:41 +0000

[...] that the kind of Manhattan you prefer, like Martinis, is a personal choice: the type of whiskey, on the rocks or straight up, dry or sweet and cherry or [...]

By: Lainie Levin

Lainie Levin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:24:42 +0000

Loved the post! As a martini fan, I couldn’t agree more.

By: Ms Taggart

Ms Taggart — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:39:14 +0000

Nice detail in the post.. shows the author’s interest in the drink!
I love anything which has Tequila as an ingredient!
Daiquiris come a close second..

By: FCB: The cocktails and I - Random Eight. « Recurring Decimals…..

FCB: The cocktails and I - Random Eight. « Recurring Decimals….. — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:34:04 +0000

[...] The Martini is my usual pre-dinner cocktail of choice, but lately I have fallen in love with the [...]

By: Chandra

Chandra — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:46:31 +0000

Bongo, just saw this…

I have to admit that curiouscat is right that shaken is better (surprising you don’t find them too different) and gin iiiisss the way to go! One needs little else with Martini in hand (although I love a good wine too).

By: BongoP'o'ndit

BongoP'o'ndit — Tue, 08 May 2007 22:43:13 +0000

@curiouscat: That certainly does make sense. I should have remembered from my Chemistry background (feels like eons ago). Gin is pretty much vodka re-distilled with juniper berries – wonder how that affects mixing.

Errr….thanks for the compliment !

By: curiouscat

curiouscat — Tue, 08 May 2007 21:34:29 +0000

@bongo: Ok, I was a little blithe when I made that statement. I am not thinking molecule, I am thinking mixing theory of liquids. What happens is vermouth likes to stay in between water and gin. Implies when water is only ice (and pre chilling the glass ensures it stays that way for a while), vermouth prefers to stay on the surface of the ice. I’ll try and find the reference for you. (and apparently does not work this way for vodka!)

aside: disappointed to learn that one more straight thinking guy is already hitched :(

By: Vivek Kumar

Vivek Kumar — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:33:49 +0000

@BongoP’o'ndit: You got me right, I meant “cocktails” rather than a specific one like Martini.

By: BongoP'o'ndit

BongoP'o'ndit — Tue, 08 May 2007 14:56:09 +0000

@Curiouscat: Aha – now we get into the molecular physics of it!

But I wonder if the diffusion constants would be so different for the small alcohol molecules in shaking v/s shirring. Obviously shaking would mix things much better – but even in stirring, shouldn’t the random diffusion be sufficient to mix the two ? I should set-up a better experimental system to verify this.

Btw, individually I am still ‘poor’, but combined paychecks help

@Vivek: Err….to have a Martini – you need Gin, not Vodka

But good question. It is a peeve of mine to see fine vodkas being diluted by colored liqueurs, fruit juices and sugary syrups.
Basically, any good (or the really bad) quality liquor should be drunk on its own – leaving the moderate ones for cocktails.