Bravado Living

I’ve decided to start posting how to make a different cocktail every week. Knowing how to mix a proper drink is essential to any gentleman’s repertoire of talents and skills. It’s an easy way to impress your friends without having to put yourself in physical harm or learn a new language, or become an ambassador to a foreign nation.

Mixing drinks seems to intimidate people when the instructions start to go beyond mixing rum with soda, but in reality most drinks are easier to make than a proper omelet. While having the appropriate bar gear isn’t exactly a hundred percent necessary, it really does make things much easier on you. Improvising with whatever objects on hand can work, but this can also easily backfire on you.  This week’s cocktail is a classic: The Dry Martini.

This is the original Gentleman’s cocktail. This is an American classic, with stories of its origins dating back to the gold rush. With it’s telltale cocktail olives, it’s as iconic as Frank Sinatra’s voice or Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark. It’s a crisp drink, with no overriding sweetness to detract from the simple pleasure of enjoying it.

All you need: Gin, Dry vermouth, cocktail olive, mixing glass, chilled cocktail glass, ice cubes.

For one cocktail it breaks down into 6 parts gin(30z.) and about a 1/4 teaspoon of the vermouth. You combine the gin and vermouth into the mixing glass with the ice cubes and you stir well. Then you pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cocktail olive. Purists insist on the liquors and the mixing glass being at room temperature. Now all you need to do is find a beautiful lady to share with.