These Christmas Martini Recipes Will Up Your Holiday Celebration (2024)

FAQs

What is an up martini? ›

“Up” means that the drink has been strained into a co*cktail glass without ice. Martinis are almost always served up, so you generally don't need to specify this in your order. Wet. A Wet Martini is heavier on the dry vermouth, meaning your bartender may bump the vermouth up by half an ounce or more.

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the gin, vodka, dry vermouth and brine. Stir for 30 seconds, then strain into a chilled coupe, Nick and Nora or, if you must, martini glass. Garnish with the olives.

Gin

Martini / Main alcohol

Gin is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe.

Wikipedia

The term “up” refers to any drink that is shaken, stirred, or combined with ice and therefore chilled, but it is served without ice. This is different from ordering a whiskey “neat”.

The term 'dirty' means that olive brine, usually from a jar of co*cktail olives, has been added to the drink. An olive garnish is typically assumed, too. Most bars add equal parts vermouth and brine, though you can specify 'extra dirty' or 'filthy' if you prefer more brine.

For those who wish to enjoy martinis all year round (especially vodka martini drinkers) serving it on the rocks just makes sense. Vodka tastes best when it's icy cold, which is why so many people store their vodka in the freezer. Another reason to serve your 'tini on ice is water.

However, while many bartenders default to gin as the ideal option for a standard Martini, many find vodka to be the better choice for a Dirty Martini. This is because the spirit's more neutral profile allows the olive brine to shine more prominently, without getting muddled by gin's heavier botanicals.

1. Margarita. The classic Margarita co*cktail has been one of the most popular co*cktails in America for years and still remains on top.

Beer. Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage worldwide. In fact, after water and tea, beer is the most commonly-consumed drink in the world. Beer is also most likely the oldest alcoholic drink in history.

Martini. The gin martini is the king of co*cktails.

What is the two martini rule? ›

Once you have consumed two, you must move on to a soft drink, such as wine or a gin and tonic. The reasons for this are obvious and I try to adhere to this rule at home. The rule is defended most enduringly (and elegantly) at Duke's Bar in Central London, where years of experience … Continue reading.

Desert Martini or a Churchill Martini

No vermouth is used. This is essentially straight gin diluted with ice and garnished with either a lemon twist or olives.

Classic martini

One of the most famous co*cktails on menus around the globe, the classic martini has just two key ingredients. Choose between gin or vodka to pair with your vermouth. Vodka martinis tend to be cleaner and less botanical, while gin lends aromatic, floral notes.

If the vodka were diluted with ice, it would technically be up. If, however, the bottle of vodka itself was chilled and no ice was added, it would be neat. As mentioned, straight also can refer to a pure pour of a shot of liquor. This can be tequila, vodka, whiskey, or even rum.

All vodka martini co*cktails should be served “straight up” because that term simply describes co*cktails that are shaken or stirred with ice, then strained. A martini co*cktail “up” basically means the same thing — served cold without the ice — although this term is typically reserved for single liquors, not co*cktails.

There are three main types of Martini: wet, dry and perfect. Vermouth is a fortified wine flavoured with botanicals, and it makes a Martini either sweet or dry, depending how much vermouth is used in the recipe. Wet means the drink is sweeter, so the ratio is normally 3:1.

Neat refers to a shot of liquor, generally scotch or bourbon, poured straight from the bottle into a glass with no ice or water and served at room temperature. Up involves a drink that is shaken or stirred and then served as is, no ice or water.