Martinis. Recipes. Volumes. What?

growse · 22 Dec 2008 at 19:32

Someone must know this:

An average Martini glass holds 8 US fl oz. The average Martini-like recipe out there calls for 2-3 oz of drink. Question is, are you meant to just serve a dribble in the bottom of the glass or just pile on the drink until it's lethal?

The thing is, I was in the US last week, and had Martinis where the glass was full, and they didn't taste that strong. So either they've got deceptively small glasses or they're padding it out with water....

Morba · 22 Dec 2008 at 19:38

like the 'vodka' and 'schnapps' you get in places like ibiza.... you get loads more and its weak as hell...

Azagoth · 22 Dec 2008 at 19:40

I drink Gibsons, the same drink but with an onion instead of an olive, and the glass has always been filled to just below the rim. Should be 6:1 ratio of Gin to Vermouth and then shaken with ice.

Fusion · 22 Dec 2008 at 19:47

I'd have said about 2/3rds of the martini glass by volume if you're making it yourself, but to have over 150ml of such a mixture in a bar would be quite pricey if you had quality ingredients. Never had one from licensed premises so don't know.

As for the ratio of gin to vermouth, Larousse says 1/3 measure of vermouth to 1 of gin, but theres lots of divergence on this with many suggesting less (and often next to no) vermouth.

Ben M · 22 Dec 2008 at 19:48

you shake it with ice, that's where the volume comes from iirc.

Fusion · 22 Dec 2008 at 19:56

No cocktail should have any liquid water in it that isn't in the recipe, it will dilute the mixture and spoil the taste. It may be mixed with solid ice cubes in the shaker then strained, but there will be no ice in the drink when it's consumed.

Ghosteh · 22 Dec 2008 at 20:01

You'll find quite a bit of the volume comes from the ice melting when the drink is either shaken or stirred. That's when when it is stirred, it can take a while to make, because it's the process of actually partially melting the ice

Plus, you've got to remember that due to the shape of the martini glass, easy it is to fill up quickly. 1mL = 1cm^3, so even with only a few oz of drink the glass can appear quite full. Not to the brim obviously.

Carzy · 22 Dec 2008 at 20:15

Ben M said:
you shake it with ice, that's where the volume comes from iirc.

You don't shake a martini.

tom_nieto · 22 Dec 2008 at 21:18

I find that the best way to do it is to literally just coat the ice in vermouth (throwing the rest away) and make up the rest with gin. This assumes a normal size glass rather than a bucket.

asim18 · 22 Dec 2008 at 21:21

Carzy said:
You don't shake a martini.

Bond likes his shaken, not stirred.

growse · 24 Dec 2008 at 00:16

asim18 said:
Bond likes his shaken, not stirred.

Bond's a muppet. I could take him with a keyboard. You stir a proper Martini so you don't chip the ice and get too much water in it. You do get water in the drink if you shake with ice, and whilst that might be good in a vodkatini, it's a no-no in a proper one.

Anyway, after a tipsy evening, I've decided that the best tactic is to use a US pony jig (bigger as it's fl oz, not ml) and to just load it on up in an 8oz glass.

Smooooooth.