How to Stay Dry

Bad news. Friday isn’t off to a good start. First, it turned the roads to slush and second, it ruined my blue suede shoes. Good news, a dry martini is a great way to end a horrendously wet day.

What is a dry martini?
Good question. I’ll answer by telling you what it’s not. It’s not made with vodka. You can thank pussy James Bond before Daniel Craig for that. Real men and real manly Bonds (like Daniel Craig) take their martinis with Gin.

• Dry martini – 2 parts Gin*, 1 part dry vermouth, 3 olives
• Sweet martini – 2 parts Gin*, 1 part sweet vermouth, lemon twist
• Dirty martini – 2 parts Gin (absolutely NO vodka. No pun intended), 1 part dry vermouth, a splash of olive brine, 3 olives

*you can be a Bond-poseur and substitute Gin for Vodka. We’d rather you not.

Shaken not stirred?
That’s the only thing that James Bond got right. Always shaken with ice in a shaker and then strained to remove sediments into a martini glass.

What’s vermouth?
It’s a type of fortified wine and it usually comes in 2 flavours- dry or sweet.

But I really want to drink like Mr. Bond
Fine. Have this memorised then. “Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet (or lillet blanc. They don’t make kina lillets since 1960). Shake it over ice, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.” It's called a Vesper or Vesper martini.

Warning
The Surgeon General warns that alcohol consumption impairs your ability to drive and may cause health problems. Pregnant women should not drink. Unprotected drinking leads to pregnancy.