"A martini-with-a-twist is sophisticated and pure - zesty, dazzling, on-point. A martini-with-an-olive is more naughty and salty - it has a bit more mystique (olive advocates also regard themselves as intellectually superior to twist-ers, though they're too polite to say it). For the record, I like my martini with an olive and a twist, which shocks people no end. They look at me, outraged, as if I'm trying to have my cake and eat it."
"Ideally, I like three olives (nocellara, please, with the stone left in), plus a few more on the side. And then a twist spritzed and discarded, so the drink is scented but the glass is not too crowded. This way, you get a martini that does everything, from the most delicate top notes all the way down to the most savory umami."
"A Gibson, of course, is garnished with pickled onions, which provide a bit more tang. The famously bibulous writer Ernest Hemingway liked his silverskin onions frozen to 5°F (he also liked thinly-sliced onion on his martini, which I wouldn't recommend). The onion-spiked Gibson was particularly fashionable in the 1950s and '60s, when it was often served on the rocks. I like a martini with ice, though you need to drink up, quick, before it gets too dilute."
Martini garnishes drastically alter character: a citrus twist yields sophisticated, zesty top notes while an olive contributes salty, savory umami and mystique. Combining both provides aromatic brightness and deep savory depth. Preferred olive choices include nocellara with the stone and multiple olives on the side to enhance savoriness. A twist can be spritzed and discarded to scent the drink without overcrowding the glass. Variants include the Vodka-tini with an oversized orange twist and the Gibson garnished with pickled silverskin onions; serving on ice or with pickled chillies and beetroot-steeped onions adds tang, color, or heat.
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