We’ve all been there. You’re sitting at a bar, you order a martini and the bartender looks at you and says “And how would like that?” Panic. There’s a large chance you’re about to make a fool of yourself.  All you know is that they look super suave and taste like gin...or vodka?

Don’t worry though, we’re here to teach you to talk the talk .

Gin or vodka?

If a classic martini is on the cards, gin is the OG and presents a much more herby flavour than a vodka martini, which is a little bit more subtle in flavour.

Dry or wet? 

I’ll have a Martini, a dry Martini, bone dry. So what have you ordered?! It’s all in the vermouth - How much and what kind you’re using.

The dryness of a martini is determined by the amount of extra dry vermouth you use. Ironically the less extra dry vermouth you use the more dry the martini! (Between 5-10ml)

So up the vermouth and you have a wet martini. (Between 20-30ml)

What's vermouth?

Vermouth is a type of wine, flavoured with botanicals. In our Cocktail Porter DIY Boxes we give you 3 to experiment with:

• Australian Vermouth
• French Aromatised Wine
• Dry French Vermouth

Dirty?

Adding olive juice or brine to a martini. Having your drink dirty brings a salty, olive-y, favour and makes it a little cloudy looking. It also softens some of the taste of alcohol .

Twist or olive?

The garnish is totally up to you. A twist refers to a lemon peel, and offers a  fresher flavour.  Alternatively, a martini is commonly garnished with up to 3 olives. Chomp.

Shaken or stirred?

James bond changed the way we look at a martini with the simple line ‘shaken, not stirred.’ The pro’s will tell you though that if you want to get the best out of your martini put the shaker down. It’s stirred every time