It's funny. One would think that with so few ingredients, a martini recipe would be quite simple. But it's just not the case. Even if you don't consider the Gin versus Vodka issue (the Vodka recipe will be listed below) there is still the issue of shaken versus stirred - and the decision over garnish.

First, lets look at the Gin to Vermouth ratio. As you can see, what I have listed is an 8 to 1 ratio. This is the recommended ratio for traditional Gin martinis - the ratio for Vodka martinis calls for more Vermouth. Unlike Vodka, which has a subtle flavor, Gins can be very pungent and aromatic. And there can be considerable difference between the taste of one Gin versus another. So keeping the Gin/Vermouth ratio to 8 to 1 keeps the Gin from being overpowered by the Vermouth.

Next we must decide whether to stir or to shake. Sadly, there is no easy answer. It all comes down to personal preference. Here are some points to consider. When you shake or stir a martini, it does two things. It makes the martini cold. And it smoothes the martini a little by diluting it with water that melts off the ice in the process.

When you stir a martini, it should be done lightly, not vigorously as if it were chocolate milk. You should preferably use a glass pitcher and a glass stirring wand and just move the ice cubes circularly about the bottom of the pitcher without bouncing them around too much. This will keep the the ice from chipping and leaving too many ice crystal in your drink. So, stirring will add less water to your martini. However, it will not be as cold as if you shake it.

To shake a martini, fill a shaker - hopefully one with character - about 2/3 full of ice. Shake up and down lightly and pour. The shaking will cause the ice cubes to crash together and will break small ice crystals into your martini, making it colder, but adding more water than if stirred. Recently it has become fashionable to shake martinis very vigorously - somewhat like the paint vibrators at the local hardware store. This breaks many ice crystals into the drink, making for a martini that is frosty, cold, and delicious - but insipid and diluted if you let it sit for very long.

Whether you decide to stir or shake, try to use ice made from the cleanest water possible. You don't want the ice adding any unwanted flavors to your perfect drink.

Finally we reach the garnish. Again, whether you decide on olives or a twist will be a matter of preference. Please see below for the Twist recipe.

As for the olive in the traditional Martini, I guess my only comment is that, like many things in life, less is more. One small pimentoed olive on a toothpick is plenty. You don't need four or five jumbo olives on a cocktail straw. That's what appetizers are for. Besides, they'll take up real estate in your glass.

A Dry Martini is just a traditional Martini with less vermouth. How much less? Well, for some people, the drier the better. Devicing ways to keep that vermouth out of their delicious martinis has been a source of creativity for many a dry martini drinker. Some people take the simplest approach, which is to add less vermouth to the mix. Rather than 8 to 1, they might try a 10 to 1 or 12 to 1 ratio. For other people, this approach is too pedestrian. They prefer to swish a small amount of vermouth in the glass (or the mixing vessel) and then throw it out. Others have bought misters, like perfume atomizers, and will mist a smal amount of vermouth over the glass once the martini has been poured. For a very dry martini, I often just ensure that there is a bottle of vermouth in the same room I am mixing in. And if that isn't quite dry enough, I make sure that the vermouth bottle be empty. Finally, I recently read that Winston Churchill, who is said to have enjoyed dry martinis, when French vermouth became scarce during the war, would simply bow across the channel, in the direction of France, when he was mixing his drink.

The Martini with a Twist is made in exactly the same way as the traditional Martini. And of course, it can be made dry or not, as was described above. The only difference (of course) is your choice of garnish. Instead of the traditional olive, you have a twist of lemon. It's like opting for a white, rather than black, dinner jacket.

These would be the mixing instructions if this page were not still under construction

These would be the mixing instructions if this page were not still under construction

These would be the mixing instructions if this page were not still under construction