#martini

#martini

'Shaking tends to be a more energy-intensive process and also creates small shards of ice that melt quickly. This creates more dilution, assuming shake and stir times are equal.'

Can you think of anything besides a martini that you'd ever want "filthy"? A filthy cabernet. A cheeseburger most foul. Gross milk. This does not work with really any other item than the martini, and if you've read a bar menu in the past five years, you'd think dirt is the only thing people want. The classic dirty martini-traditionally made with a splash of olive brine-seems almost quaint now, as iterations with olive oil, MSG, olive and tomato vermouths, and other savory ingredients have proliferated.

These days, any cocktail served in a traditional martini glass is called a martini. But are they really martinis? Purists will argue that a perfect martini consists only of vodka or gin and dry vermouth, garnished perhaps with a twist of lime or lemon, or an olive, and if you like it dirty, a bit of olive or pickle brine. There's a rumor that claims adding apricot brandy will enhance a standard martini recipe, but wouldn't that make the cocktail too sweet, changing the savory nature of the classic recipe?

The weekend kicks off with the "Ultimate Martini Dinner"-a multi-course dinner at Brooklyn's most exciting new restaurant, Confidant. Enjoy some light canapes, starting with steak tartare crackers and seasonal vegetable tarts alongside welcome aperitifs. Later, you can indulge in a four-course family-style dinner, with options like dry-aged steak, crown of Duck or Caraflex cabbage, plus banana cream pie for dessert. A different Ford Gin martini will accompany each course and the brand's founder, Simon Ford, will also be co-hosting the dinner.

"I think it's the tang you get from a high-quality vinegar that is lacking in most store-ready onions," says Meaghan Dorman.