Shaken or stirred?

WE CAUGHT UP WITH JAKE O’BRIEN MURPHY, MOËT HENNESSY’S SPIRITS AMBASSADOR, WHO DELVES INTO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MARTINIS, AND HOW BELVEDERE MAKES THE PERFECT BASE SPIRIT TO CURATE A RANGE OF THESE POPULAR SERVES.

The Martini – in the canon of classic cocktails nothing comes nearly as close to perfection. In my near 15 years working in hospitality, the Martini has come to represent so much. The hardest drink to master and the easiest to muck up. A fact that isn’t helped by the general confusion surrounding the Martini, a problem that presents itself initially as a forking path. Neo-Martinis and true Martinis. We’ll begin with the new kids on the block, what I think of as the Neo-Martini. A class that encompasses the Espresso, Pornstar and French variety. Not to mention the lesser houses of the Lychee Martini and Ben Reed’s seminal Pineapple Martini. Strictly speaking, for the purist amongst us, these are not really Martinis at all. Instead, they represent a broad church of mixed drinks that fall under one confounded, unifying banner. These cocktails came of age as part of the great vodka renaissance. They’re of the same graduating class as Furbies, Spice World as well as the New York Nightlife scene - Peter Gatien’s Limelight, Palladium and Club USA. This newer family of martini allowed for flavour to be championed in new and innovative ways. Vodka has a unique reputation as the utilitarian spirit. The spirit of the night.

The Espresso Martini stands tall amongst its peers as the prime example of NeoMartinis. Invented by the late, great Dick Bradsell in the early 1980s, the Espresso Martini comes as the movement for the nascent category. Dick spoke effusively about his profound love for Polish vodka - citing it as his choice for the original Espresso Martini. Belvedere exemplifies the finest qualities of Polish vodka, combining the kind of technical prowess and cultural kudos that comes with being the spirit’s true birthplace. Truly, the Espresso Martini is the shining example of Belvedere Vodka’s ability to captivate. The Neo-Martini family favours being shaken. This is in order to spark the magical textural transformation by which these drinks thrive. A great Espresso Martini, Pornstar or French Martini, should always have a rich and velvety head. It bears repeating - you want a rich, velvety head!

Now we take our alternative path, the one marked True Martinis. Disclaimer, I have to admit, I have some considerable skin in the game here. A bone dry Belvedere Martini with a lemon discard is my favourite drink by such a distance that it exists in an altogether different time zone. Belvedere purrs in the glass. It’s a sleeping tiger with one eye always open. It’s as good as a drink can be without also granting wishes. The True Martini is a piece of living history synonymous with hotel bars, espionage, and heads of state. A True Martini should be stirred, dancing over the ice and brought to a crisp, bracing conclusion of shimmering silver perfection, that sits like double cream and sips like ambrosia. There are some hurdles for the uninitiated. The language surrounding the drink such as: dry, wet, twist, naked, shaken and stirred is one of confusing paradox. ‘Wet’ means more Dry Vermouth while ‘dry’ means less Dry Vermouth. Yet, while seemingly innocuous, any variation on the theme can have far-reaching consequences for the final drink. It’s important to get to know these differences intimately. Personal preference in your Martini is a cause for celebration! It is your very own Cinderella glass slipper and the giddy joy of exploring the specifics is a rite of passage. Remember three things and you’ll be golden: dilution, temperature and texture. These are the signposts by which you will find satisfaction. Again, the True Martini allows for a plethora of possibilities with flavour modifiers. Some opt for savoury, while others play around with vermouth blends, bringing sweetness and texture. There are aromatics than can be employed that lend depths of flavour hereto unheard of. Amalfi lemon is generally agreed upon as the pinnacle of bringing bright citrus into play - likewise grapefruit and other aromatics can be just as beguiling. One thing is certain - a Martini by any other name would taste just as sweet. www.belvederevodka.com