Cocktail Class: Bartender likes his martinis clean
Stirred, not shaken.
No onion. No olive. Certainly no brine.
Simon Moorby doesn’t play dirty.
When it comes to a classic dry martini, he’ll let you get away with a lemon twist, but that’s about it.
“I would love to be known as the bartender that killed the dirty martini,” he said. The salty, oily liquid from the jarred olives “just destroys the mouthfeel of the cocktail.”
He understands others might not get it – or take their martinis as seriously as he takes his. And that’s their prerogative. But if he’s making a martini, it’s going to have only two ingredients: gin and vermouth.
Three, if you count the lemon zest garnish.
He doesn’t keep olives in stock. So don’t even ask.
And, if you want a “vodka martini,” ask for it by name; it’s a different drink altogether. Call it the kangaroo, kangaroo kicker or kangaroo kick. Do not call it a martini.
“It’s still palatable,” Moorby said. “But it’s just not a martini.”
Don’t expect him to add coffee liqueur or Irish cream or anything blue or pink or sugary, either. Martinis aren’t fruity.
They’re timeless, sophisticated and stiff.
The powerfully potent cocktail is also meant to be quickly consumed. In fact, it’s best enjoyed, Moorby said, within mere minutes from the time it’s made – while it’s still super cold and refreshing and before it breaks down.
“I find the marriage of gin and vermouth is a perfect marriage,” Moorby said. But, “It only lasts about five minutes. It really does kind of die in the glass. The balance falls apart.
“But, for the first few moments, it’s the best.”
If you really do prefer a dirty martini, Moorby suggests opting instead for a pinch of salt. “It’s not going to cloud the cocktail,” he said. “It’s not going to mess with the mouthfeel at all.”
One other exception he might allow if the bar has it: a house-made gherkin brine with a house-made gherkin pickle for garnish.
Otherwise, his version features 2 1/2 ounces of gin softened by 3/4 ounce vermouth. That’s “debated heavily,” too, of course.
But, Moorby said, “For me, that’s perfect.”
Classic Dry Martini
From Simon Moorby of Hogwash Whiskey Den in Spokane
2 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce Dolin Blanc vermouth
Lemon twist, for garnish
Add gin and vermouth to mixing glass filled with ice. Stir. Strain into Martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Note: Moorby likes to use “a good, sizeable piece” of fruit lemon peel, expressing its oils over the drink and rubbing the zest along the rim of the glass to bring a hint of “acidity and freshness to it.”
Variation: Add vodka and Lillet Blanc to make a Vesper, the drink of choice of James Bond. It first appeared in the 1953 novel “Casino Royale” with a very specific set of instructions: “Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?” Moorby does. “That’s a wonderful twist on the martini. I will always recommend one.”