What is a vodka martini?

The International Bartenders Association specifies 60 millilitres of spirit to 10 millilitres of dry vermouth for the dry martini, so six to one, stirred with ice and strained into a chilled glass.

That official specification names gin as the base. In a vodka martini, vodka takes that place and the rest of the build stays the same. Dry in contemporary practice means little vermouth: anyone who asks for a dry martini gets just a dash in the glass. If you ask for extra dry, even less goes in, or nothing at all. Pour at home with a measuring cup, because by eye the ratio quickly gets out of hand.

Under European rules, gin must taste predominantly of juniper; that requirement does not apply to vodka. The drinker notices this difference in the base first in the glass.

Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/787 states for gin that the taste must be predominantly that of juniper. For vodka it says something different: the drink is distilled in such a way that the taste characteristics of the raw material are selectively reduced, and it may afterwards be treated with activated carbon. A gin martini therefore puts a spicy base next to the vermouth. In a vodka martini, the vermouth, the garnish and the temperature determine what is left of the flavour.

Stirring chills and dilutes; shaking does the same faster and changes the texture in the process, because air bubbles get into the liquid and the drink ends up cloudy in the glass.

Trade literature on mixing technique equates 15 to 20 seconds of shaking to 90 to 120 seconds of stirring for the same chilling and dilution. Shaking also introduces small air bubbles into the drink, so that it turns cloudy instead of clear. Drinks that consist only of clear ingredients are therefore usually stirred. Note what dilution does and does not do: meltwater is added, so the alcohol percentage in the glass drops, but the amount of alcohol stays the same.

With 60 millilitres of vodka at 40 percent and 10 millilitres of dry vermouth, 25.5 to 26.2 millilitres of pure alcohol end up in the glass, about two standard glasses.

The calculation runs like this. 60 millilitres of vodka times 0.40 is 24 millilitres of pure alcohol. According to Regulation (EU) 251/2014, dry vermouth must contain at least 14.5 percent and less than 22 percent alcohol, so 10 millilitres yields 1.45 to 2.2 millilitres. Together that comes to 25.5 to 26.2 millilitres. Pure alcohol weighs 0.789 grams per millilitre, so that is 20.1 to 20.7 grams. The Trimbos-instituut counts a standard drink as roughly 10 grams of pure alcohol. If you pour less, for example 45 millilitres of vodka to 7.5 millilitres of vermouth, you arrive at about 15 grams.

A dirty martini has the same build with a splash of olive brine added, served with olives as garnish. The brine makes the drink saltier and less clear.

Olive brine itself contains no alcohol. So volume is added without alcohol being added: the alcohol percentage of the glass drops, the amount of alcohol stays the same. How much brine goes in is a matter of taste and ranges from a few drops to a generous splash. The official specification for the dry martini lists green olives as a garnish on request, alongside oil from a lemon peel as the standard.

For a martini, an unflavoured vodka is usually used. In the European Union it must contain at least 37.5 percent alcohol; in Bathmen there are 223 different vodkas on the shelf.

Van die 223 flessen staan er 151 op 37,5 procent of hoger, en de wodka’s komen uit 21 landen. Een wodka met een toegevoegd aroma verandert het karakter van het glas en maakt er feitelijk een andere cocktail van. De grondstof scheelt ook: verordening (EU) 2019/787 laat wodka toe uit granen, uit aardappelen of uit andere landbouwgrondstoffen, en wie niet uitsluitend graan of aardappel gebruikt, moet dat op het etiket vermelden. Weet u niet welke stijl bij uw verhouding past, kom dan langs aan de Brink in Bathmen of bel. NIX18: geen alcohol onder de 18 jaar.