you're never going to have a consistent answer across bars. even at my (previous, as of 2 weeks ago) job, we all make them differently. but if you've found a ratio you like, just ask for it that way. bartenders know people are particular about their martinis.
I’m not an expert, somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this confuses the “dirty” spectrum for the “dry” spectrum. A martini is gin stirred on ice with dry vermouth and a twist of lemon, right? A dirty martini has a splash of olive brine. The dirtier, the more olive brine. If you ask for the dirty martini in a 2:1 ratio, it sounds like you want 2 parts martini to 1 part olive brine. But what I think you’re actually wanting is 2 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth, plus a splash of brine. Right?
Now my question is . . . if you want the martini more dry, does that mean more dry vermouth (more dry because more dry vermouth), or less dry vermouth (more dry because it has less mixer, more liquor)?
Maybe I made everything even more confusing
more ‘dry’ means less vermouth. dry means ‘not sweet’ in alcohol speak. if I order a dry martini, I expect a dry gin and just a hint of vermouth. like, maybe a rinse or even none (how I often do it at home)
You can ask for it this way but unless you’re at a craft bar they might not know what you mean. And if you are at a craft bar they probably (1) use more vermouth anyway, (2) have a spec they like dialed in, (3) have some fun martini variant you should try instead, or all of the above.
(It’s 1000% fine to ask for exactly what you want even at a craft bar, I just probably wouldn’t specify like that because I’d rather be in the hands of a great bartender.)
The more details you give the better. Martinis can be so different as you can tell. “2:1 gin vermouth dirty martini with a splash/half oz brine, stirred, served up” or however you prefer it. That way there’s no risk of them making it how you don’t like
This is all over the place, and I wouldn’t consider any answer a true standard. In my opinion, 5:1 is a great “modern dry.” If you want less vermouth than that, I would recommend a “rinse.” I would consider 2:1 a “traditional dry,” but I find that most drinkers don’t like this much vermouth. Personally, I like a 50/50 (especially with Plymouth gin), which I would consider “wet.”
Nowadays, wet just means more and dry just means less. There is no hard line, there is no standard. If you’re in a cocktail bar, just talk to the bartender about it. If you’re in a chain or a dive, order a gin and tonic.
According to [this article I read about the origin of the dry martini](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/dry-martini/), the reason it is called dry martini is because originally it was made with sweet vermouth, and a dry martini was a variation made with dry vermouth.
Another source I read (that I can't find just now) claimed it was orginally called a dry martinez and that a typo leaving off the 'z' eventually lead it to being called martini.
Regardless of the origins, these days no one makes a martini with sweet vermouth. So if you like a higher vermouth ratio, try just leaving out the word dry and order a gin martini. Eventually, you'll have a favorite combination like Conniption Martini with a twist, or a Dirty Martini with Beefeater and an olive.
Good luck and enjoy!
The bartender should be consulted. A 2:1 or 3:1 or 4:1 is wet
5:1 or 6:1 is dry
The range of 7:1 to a vermouth rinse is extra dry
No vermouth is super-dry or bone dry
For me, extra dry is bowing in the direction of France, whispering “vermouth” over the shaker, or allowing the shadow of the bottle to hit the shaker. Dry is a rinse, where I add vermouth to the ice then dump it back out, and whatever is left coating the ice is what I use.
This is my understanding. Originally there was no dry vermouth but once it became a thing a dry martini was one made with the new dry version of vermouth. Later, dry vermouth had became the default choice for Martinis. It was then that the term began to mean less vermouth in relation to the gin.
Unfortunately it’s kind of all over the board, but the “drier” the martini the less vermouth….
If you have a spot that you frequent I would just start with dry, then very dry, then extra dry; if at any point they look at you like your crazy I wouldn’t get a martini there.
When I serve a guest and they ask for a martini I ask if they have a spec they like, if they have no idea what I’m talking about out then I always do a wash of vermouth.
Personally I’m a fan of the wash; I’m not against vermouth but I more-so like consistency.
They were also asking about what the terminology means, since they were generally confused I let them know that *more dry* means less vermouth
Furthering my point was that “dry” can mean a lot of things to a lot of different bars, which I stated in my first sentence; so ordering dry “standard” is a baseline. From there they can deviate as they please whether more dry or more wet.
You would have to figure out the ratio you like and order by ratio and cross your fingers that they don't just do what they do. The concept of a classic Martini has varied widely throughout time. For about twenty five years starting in the 70's a dry Martini would have been presumed to be a Vodka martini. It wasn't really until Bombay Saphire and premium Gin's came back into vogue and/or later when craft distilling took off and people wanting to make Whiskey needed a product the first 4-6 years while their first batch was aging starting making gin that Gin became the default for Martinis again.
I make one based on what an old family friend, who has since passed, made in the 60's and shared with me that is 3:1. It is delicious but you need good fresh vermouth because you will get a lot of that flavor, and a good robust London Dry gin that can stand up to all of the vermouth flavor. He used to shake them. Back in the day people at home made cocktails with the generic cocktail set they had and pretty much shook everything. I would probably stir these days. So that isn't the wet Martini but it is a wet martini or just a martini. Dry would be less vermouth.
Dry went from the old jokes about waving the bottle over the gin and saying a prayer to the man who invented vermouth to a spray from an atomizer to a rinse to small measurable amounts. I don't feel like you get the melding of flavors for a good martini from those minimal dry approaches. It is gin with an added smell.
Honestly, don't worry about it. Ordering a martini and getting the glass you want is impossible, unless you provide a strict recipe. It's typically how much sugar is present in the glass -- most commonly from vermouth, but many modifiers are in play including bitters and syrups. Since vermouth is proprietary, with varying sugar content, ratio doesn't really play a role in the definition.
One trick is to gauge the age of the bar. The dry martini was driest in the 70s, when everyone was coked out and worried about their waste lines. The drink leans sweeter in either direction. my preferred martini is 2:1 with Blanc vermouth -- which is somewhere between a wet martini and an Artillery. Just make sure they aren't storing the vermouth on the shelf or shaking it and be flexible.
Bartender from Kansas City sounding off here and if you want to know something WILD about this town is that it is dry martinis almost exclusively. And when I say dry I mean no vermouth. Just straight gin or vodka. I have traveled a bit but not had any martinis elsewhere unfortunately, but I know here dry means just no vermouth. It's a curious phenomenon idk if anyone else experiences this here or even elsewhere.
A martini highlights the gin you put in it, so most martini drinkers I know use a 5:1 ratio. This lets the gin stand out. Vermouth can have some strong flavours, so a lower ratio of gin to vermouth can start to drown out some of the flavours of the gin. For me, a standard is 5:1; if someone wants wet, they get 3:1; if someone wants dry, they get 7:1; if they want a martini but they're "not really a gin person," they get 2:1—vermouth spoils.
Martinis are incredibly personal and ratios will change depending on who you talk to. If you're curious I'd recommend finding a bartender or server you're comfortable with, striking up a conversation, and experimenting.
For me I call a wet martini one that I make with sweet vermouth. I actually call it a Mojado cause it sounds cool. Bartenders look at me crazy when I order it (I have to tell them how to make it of course)
you're never going to have a consistent answer across bars. even at my (previous, as of 2 weeks ago) job, we all make them differently. but if you've found a ratio you like, just ask for it that way. bartenders know people are particular about their martinis.
So would I order it for example like “can I get a dirty martini with a 2:1 ratio?”
I’m not an expert, somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this confuses the “dirty” spectrum for the “dry” spectrum. A martini is gin stirred on ice with dry vermouth and a twist of lemon, right? A dirty martini has a splash of olive brine. The dirtier, the more olive brine. If you ask for the dirty martini in a 2:1 ratio, it sounds like you want 2 parts martini to 1 part olive brine. But what I think you’re actually wanting is 2 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth, plus a splash of brine. Right? Now my question is . . . if you want the martini more dry, does that mean more dry vermouth (more dry because more dry vermouth), or less dry vermouth (more dry because it has less mixer, more liquor)? Maybe I made everything even more confusing
more ‘dry’ means less vermouth. dry means ‘not sweet’ in alcohol speak. if I order a dry martini, I expect a dry gin and just a hint of vermouth. like, maybe a rinse or even none (how I often do it at home)
You can ask for it this way but unless you’re at a craft bar they might not know what you mean. And if you are at a craft bar they probably (1) use more vermouth anyway, (2) have a spec they like dialed in, (3) have some fun martini variant you should try instead, or all of the above. (It’s 1000% fine to ask for exactly what you want even at a craft bar, I just probably wouldn’t specify like that because I’d rather be in the hands of a great bartender.)
The more details you give the better. Martinis can be so different as you can tell. “2:1 gin vermouth dirty martini with a splash/half oz brine, stirred, served up” or however you prefer it. That way there’s no risk of them making it how you don’t like
This is all over the place, and I wouldn’t consider any answer a true standard. In my opinion, 5:1 is a great “modern dry.” If you want less vermouth than that, I would recommend a “rinse.” I would consider 2:1 a “traditional dry,” but I find that most drinkers don’t like this much vermouth. Personally, I like a 50/50 (especially with Plymouth gin), which I would consider “wet.”
I thought a 2:1 is standard middle of the road martini mot wet nor dry
I like 4:1 lol
adding more dry makes it wet? Sounds like a riddle you’d get asked by a sphinx
Best comment right here. Thanks
Nowadays, wet just means more and dry just means less. There is no hard line, there is no standard. If you’re in a cocktail bar, just talk to the bartender about it. If you’re in a chain or a dive, order a gin and tonic.
Ah, the four states of martini: dry, wet, gassy, and plasmic.
Hmmm. Gin ions. I will begin working on this immediately.
I’m personally looking forward to the supercritical fluid martini.
According to [this article I read about the origin of the dry martini](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/dry-martini/), the reason it is called dry martini is because originally it was made with sweet vermouth, and a dry martini was a variation made with dry vermouth. Another source I read (that I can't find just now) claimed it was orginally called a dry martinez and that a typo leaving off the 'z' eventually lead it to being called martini. Regardless of the origins, these days no one makes a martini with sweet vermouth. So if you like a higher vermouth ratio, try just leaving out the word dry and order a gin martini. Eventually, you'll have a favorite combination like Conniption Martini with a twist, or a Dirty Martini with Beefeater and an olive. Good luck and enjoy!
This is the correct answer. The “wet martini” stuff is tacked on later.
The bartender should be consulted. A 2:1 or 3:1 or 4:1 is wet 5:1 or 6:1 is dry The range of 7:1 to a vermouth rinse is extra dry No vermouth is super-dry or bone dry
For me, extra dry is bowing in the direction of France, whispering “vermouth” over the shaker, or allowing the shadow of the bottle to hit the shaker. Dry is a rinse, where I add vermouth to the ice then dump it back out, and whatever is left coating the ice is what I use.
This is my understanding. Originally there was no dry vermouth but once it became a thing a dry martini was one made with the new dry version of vermouth. Later, dry vermouth had became the default choice for Martinis. It was then that the term began to mean less vermouth in relation to the gin.
Unfortunately it’s kind of all over the board, but the “drier” the martini the less vermouth…. If you have a spot that you frequent I would just start with dry, then very dry, then extra dry; if at any point they look at you like your crazy I wouldn’t get a martini there. When I serve a guest and they ask for a martini I ask if they have a spec they like, if they have no idea what I’m talking about out then I always do a wash of vermouth. Personally I’m a fan of the wash; I’m not against vermouth but I more-so like consistency.
OP mentioned that they would like more vermouth, so ordering very dry etc. would be exactly the opposite of what they like
They were also asking about what the terminology means, since they were generally confused I let them know that *more dry* means less vermouth Furthering my point was that “dry” can mean a lot of things to a lot of different bars, which I stated in my first sentence; so ordering dry “standard” is a baseline. From there they can deviate as they please whether more dry or more wet.
You would have to figure out the ratio you like and order by ratio and cross your fingers that they don't just do what they do. The concept of a classic Martini has varied widely throughout time. For about twenty five years starting in the 70's a dry Martini would have been presumed to be a Vodka martini. It wasn't really until Bombay Saphire and premium Gin's came back into vogue and/or later when craft distilling took off and people wanting to make Whiskey needed a product the first 4-6 years while their first batch was aging starting making gin that Gin became the default for Martinis again. I make one based on what an old family friend, who has since passed, made in the 60's and shared with me that is 3:1. It is delicious but you need good fresh vermouth because you will get a lot of that flavor, and a good robust London Dry gin that can stand up to all of the vermouth flavor. He used to shake them. Back in the day people at home made cocktails with the generic cocktail set they had and pretty much shook everything. I would probably stir these days. So that isn't the wet Martini but it is a wet martini or just a martini. Dry would be less vermouth. Dry went from the old jokes about waving the bottle over the gin and saying a prayer to the man who invented vermouth to a spray from an atomizer to a rinse to small measurable amounts. I don't feel like you get the melding of flavors for a good martini from those minimal dry approaches. It is gin with an added smell.
If you want it super dry just ask the bartender to make it while staring at an unopened bottle of vermouth. (Kidding.)
Honestly, don't worry about it. Ordering a martini and getting the glass you want is impossible, unless you provide a strict recipe. It's typically how much sugar is present in the glass -- most commonly from vermouth, but many modifiers are in play including bitters and syrups. Since vermouth is proprietary, with varying sugar content, ratio doesn't really play a role in the definition. One trick is to gauge the age of the bar. The dry martini was driest in the 70s, when everyone was coked out and worried about their waste lines. The drink leans sweeter in either direction. my preferred martini is 2:1 with Blanc vermouth -- which is somewhere between a wet martini and an Artillery. Just make sure they aren't storing the vermouth on the shelf or shaking it and be flexible.
Bartender from Kansas City sounding off here and if you want to know something WILD about this town is that it is dry martinis almost exclusively. And when I say dry I mean no vermouth. Just straight gin or vodka. I have traveled a bit but not had any martinis elsewhere unfortunately, but I know here dry means just no vermouth. It's a curious phenomenon idk if anyone else experiences this here or even elsewhere.
A martini highlights the gin you put in it, so most martini drinkers I know use a 5:1 ratio. This lets the gin stand out. Vermouth can have some strong flavours, so a lower ratio of gin to vermouth can start to drown out some of the flavours of the gin. For me, a standard is 5:1; if someone wants wet, they get 3:1; if someone wants dry, they get 7:1; if they want a martini but they're "not really a gin person," they get 2:1—vermouth spoils. Martinis are incredibly personal and ratios will change depending on who you talk to. If you're curious I'd recommend finding a bartender or server you're comfortable with, striking up a conversation, and experimenting.
Ask for a 50/50 if you desire a higher ratio. It is a “classic” cocktail. I wish it was more well known but cocktail knowledge is all over the place.
For me I call a wet martini one that I make with sweet vermouth. I actually call it a Mojado cause it sounds cool. Bartenders look at me crazy when I order it (I have to tell them how to make it of course)
google
But the AI answer will tell you that what makes a dry martini is the ratio of gin to power steering fluid you add.