Vol. 10, No. 10 | The Martini Issue
Hey Ya’ll!
I’m getting this out a little late this week because I’ve been on the road for the past week: Miami, DC and now back in Atlanta, just in time for ONE MusicFest. Somewhere between questionable hotel martinis and caviar service, I realized the thing I’ve been thinking about a lot this week is martinis:
Classic martinis have been trending for a couple of years now. I started drinking martinis at Talat Market when Adrian was still the bar manager. I mentioned it briefly in this Atlanta Magazine article a few years ago and in my “Vodka Should Be Treated Like Chicken” newsletter a couple years ago. Adrian’s martini was a 50/50 style martini, meaning the ratio of the cocktail was equal parts gin to equal parts aperitifs (vermouths, sherries etc). I loved how clean and delicate it was. It wasn’t the boozy, hold-the-vermouth martinis, that I’ve seen other people love. I’ve been drinking martinis ever since.
Tiny tinis. Adrian is no longer at Talat, but it’s still a great place to get a martini because they’ve been offering tiny tinis (a small martini) since 2024 (these are boozier than Adrian’s version). I love a martini, but I might love a tiny tini even more. I actually think all cocktails should be offered in full and half sizes. I tried to get it to become a thing in Atlanta by ordering half cocktails at bars, but it didn’t work. However, don’t be surprised if you start seeing this over the next year or two, because it’s definitely picking up steam across the country. Sometimes, you just don’t want or need a full cocktail or sometimes you want to try several things. Tiny cocktails solves this problem.
Martini service. I started going down this martini rabbit hole because I went to Maple and Ash while I was in Miami and part of their table settings included a coupe glass. I immediately thought they were leaning into martinis by encouraging it through their selected glassware. I expected to see a cool martini list and an intro by the server about it. Well, that’s not what happened. They give a welcome cocktail that’s nowhere near a martini, but still a nice gesture. Instead of bread service, they also give chips, crème fraîche and caviar. This definitely made me order a martini. Maybe that was the point of it all? I still would love for a restaurant to use this glassware set up for a martini moment though.
Hotel martinis. When I got to DC, I was still thinking about this table setting when I found myself at a hotel bar. The one I got was absolutely not great. I asked for Bombay and, I definitely didn’t get Bombay. It also wasn't a 50/50, like I requested (half Bombay, half vermouth). If there’s any place I think it should be safe to order a martini, it’s the hotel lobby bar. This, in addition to a steakhouse, is just a quintessential martini setting.
Martinis for others. When I had my bar, I hated making people martinis. I was new to bartending (probably better to start as a bartender before opening a bar) and everyone had a very specific way they wanted their martini. I found it intimidating. I’ve now become that person and I now realize how happy people are when someone gets this right. A martini is a very personal thing.
HU, You Know! I was in DC for Howard Homecoming and as I had this martini, I reminisced about how one time in college, my friend and I were drinking gin straight out of the bottle in the back of some random car. The details of the night are obviously fuzzy (it’s been over 20 years and chugging gin can do that). I didn’t drink gin again for 10 years after that. Now I’m sitting in bars, badgering people to get my martini order right. Oh how times have changed.
Hope you’re all well!
Shannon
P.S. (If you didn’t know: “HU, You know!” is Howard University’s call and response rally cry.)
If you’re interested, here’s my preferred martini:
Holy Sip Martini (my martini)
1.5 oz Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru gin
1.5 oz Noilly Prat Extra Dry vermouth
Lemon peel
Add the gin and vermouth to a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until well-chilled (about 30 seconds). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the lemon over the cocktail and drop into the glass.
*I work on these two brands, but they are also what made me love the martini and this will forever be my favorite way to have one.
If you have a favorite martini, I’d love to hear it.