How strong is a martini?

One of the strongest standard cocktails there is. Nearly everything in the glass is spirit, so even after stirring dilution a classic martini lands around 28-32% ABV, roughly two standard drinks in a single serving. That's why it's traditionally served in a small glass and sipped slowly rather than ordered in rounds.

What's the difference between a dry and wet martini?

It's the amount of vermouth. A dry martini uses less vermouth (as little as a rinse of the glass in an extra-dry version); a wet martini uses more, up to equal parts with the gin. Neither is more "correct," it's entirely down to how much vermouth flavor you want.

What makes a martini "dirty"?

A splash of olive brine, shaken or stirred in with the gin (or vodka) and vermouth. It adds a salty, savory edge and is almost always garnished with an olive rather than a lemon twist.

How to Make a Martini: The Sophisticated Classic

The martini is the benchmark for cocktail sophistication: two or three ingredients, nowhere to hide, and a century of arguments about the right ratio. Whether you land on gin or vodka, dry or wet, this classic regularly tops lists of the most popular cocktails in the world.

The Classic Gin Martini

Ingredients:

2 oz (60ml) gin
1/2 oz (15ml) dry vermouth
Lemon twist or olive, for garnish

Method:

Fill a mixing glass with ice.
Add the gin and vermouth.
Stir for 20-30 seconds.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Express a lemon twist over the drink, or add an olive.

If you want the build in front of you while you stir, the interactive Martini recipe card has an ml/oz toggle, serving scaling, and an ingredient checklist.

Gin, Vermouth, and Garnish

A London Dry gin (Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire) is the traditional, juniper-forward choice; Plymouth gin gives a softer, rounder alternative if you find London Dry too sharp. For vermouth, Noilly Prat or Dolin Dry are the standard dry vermouths, adding subtle herbal complexity without overwhelming the gin. Keep vermouth refrigerated once opened: like wine, it goes flat within a few weeks at room temperature, and stale vermouth is the single most common reason a homemade martini tastes off. Garnish is genuinely a matter of taste: a lemon twist adds aromatic citrus oil, an olive adds a salty contrast, and a cocktail onion turns the whole drink into a Gibson.

Ratios and Variations

The classic ratio is 4:1 gin to vermouth, but the range people actually drink is wide. A Dry Martini cuts the vermouth to a scant 1/4 oz; an Extra Dry all but eliminates it, sometimes just an atomizer spray or a rinsed-and-dumped glass. A Wet Martini goes the other way, up to equal parts gin and vermouth, for a rounder, more herbal drink. A Perfect Martini splits the difference by using equal parts dry and sweet vermouth. Swap the gin for vodka and you've got a Vodka Martini, traditionally shaken rather than stirred, which is where "shaken, not stirred" actually comes from. And if the espresso-and-vodka crowd has your attention instead, the Espresso Martini shares the glass and the name but almost nothing else.

Stirring vs. Shaking

Stirring is the traditional method for a gin martini: it chills and dilutes without introducing air bubbles or clouding the drink, keeping it silky and clear. Fill the mixing glass with ice, add the ingredients, stir for 20-30 seconds, and strain. Shaking is more common for vodka martinis and dirty martinis, where extra-cold temperature and a slightly cloudy finish are less of a tradeoff, shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds and double-strain to catch any ice shards. Neither method is objectively better; they just produce a noticeably different texture.

Tools and Glassware

You need less than you'd think: a mixing glass for stirred versions, a shaker for shaken ones, a bar spoon, and a strainer (a julep strainer for stirred drinks, a Hawthorne for shaken). The classic V-shaped martini glass is iconic but genuinely impractical: it's easy to spill and doesn't hold cold as well as it looks like it should. A coupe or a Nick & Nora glass holds temperature better and is what a lot of professional bars actually reach for now, even when the menu still calls the drink a "martini."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Warm glassware is the easiest one to fix: chill your glass with ice water for 30 seconds before you build the drink. Stale vermouth is the second-biggest issue, since it's wine-based and doesn't keep once opened; if it's been sitting open for a couple of months, replace it before you blame the gin. Over-stirring dilutes the drink too much, while under-stirring leaves it too strong and not properly chilled; 20-30 seconds with real ice gets it right almost every time. And skip the flavored or infused gins here: a martini has nowhere to hide a bad ingredient, so use spirits you'd happily drink neat, not the cheapest bottle on the shelf.

The martini's origins likely trace back to the Martinez cocktail of the 1860s, and it hit its cultural peak in the 1950s and '60s. Master the basic stir, and the endless ratio and garnish debates become the fun part, not the hard part.