Peter Shaw

I've shared my thoughts here before, and I still love this recipe. However, I've recently found my go-to dry martini combo that I can't get enough of:

60 ml London Dry Gin (currently using Tanqueray for its versatility)
15 ml Dolin Dry Vermouth
4 green olives on a skewer
I let a few drops of olive juice fall into the glass from the spoon while garnishing. To me, this makes an immaculate martini. I highly recommend trying this 4:1 ratio. Enjoy!

Dear Paul - have you also tried splitting your gin? I like a 50:50 of Plymouth and Tanq Ten.

Wow!! This has been on my Must Try list for a while and is now on my favourites. So simple, yet so elegantly balanced. I didn’t think there was too much orgeat, but after looking at the comments, I might try a second one (even though that immediately qualifies as binge drinking these days!!) with a bit less orgeat - but be ready to top it back up if need be.

Maybe a bit heavy on the Green Chartreuse for me? Fine if you like that, or a Last Word. The alternative is just to have a Last Word on the rocks.

The guests have gone; there’s champagne open; what shall I make? THIS!!!

Darn!!! As I age, I am trying to cut down my rarely-used bottles, but it looks like I will be investing in another bottle of Applejack - just for this cocktail ! Delicious!

Where along the line did the dashes of Maraschino become 7.5ml?

The medium martini doe not make it into either Shaken (The official 007 cocktail book) or Bond Cocktails (But I hadn't realised how often James asked for a Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred!!). I tried a Head to head with a Medium Martini (1922 recipe, Harry McElhone, quoted in the Martini Cocktail book) versus this recipe versus the Perfect Martini and , for me, the addition of the Orange bitters gives the Perfect Martini the edge.

By happy chance, I ordered Madenii Classic vermouth, rather than dry, and this lends itself to this cocktail - and slips down very easily.

Interesting: with most brandy based champagne cocktails, I really have to cut back on the brandy, but with the calvados, 30ml is fine. 5ml of my raspberry sugar syrup produces an attractive bright pink cocktail - excellent for social occasions.

And also the 7th International Scottish Gin day?

Finally! Something that is odour-free, stable and works. Has led to an immediate shift in the cocktails I am making.

Finally!! It is only after grinding the granulated (cane) sugar that I’m not left with a few undissolved granules. And so now the rest of the flavours are unimpaired. The Daiquiri is one reason why I would rather enjoy my cocktail at home, rather than risk my precious alcohol allowance on some hit or miss affair at a new bar.

This gin, together with Plymouth gin, is always in stock in my bar, and in the freezer for an instant cold martini.

This drink's got potential, but even the little dash of absinthe I used was overpowering. I'll have to be more careful next time.

I’ve got a little atomiser for absinthe that I use to spray the inside of the glass. Otherwise, I agree, it is too easy to overdo the absinthe!!

The Difford review above is spot on: Bone dry with cherry aromatics are followed by sweetness and spice. A wonderful drink when looking for more complexity than a martini.

Not sure why it has taken so long for me to try this, but I agree - and ideal if one finds oneself in the (unusual) situation of Bianco vermouth open, but no dry.

A lovely, though dominating, vermouth, but why does it have to come
in a 1000ml bottle? Picked up a couple of 375ml half bottles in the States, but that is not somewhere I am going back to any time soon.

Hmmmm. The sweet vermouth I had open was Carpano Antica. Maybe too heavy for one to appreciate the Tequila and Mezcal? I will have to try it with a lighter vermouth.

Perfect texture (with Tanq 10 and vodka straight from the freezer) and the Peychauds adds a lovely colour and flavour that pushes it to exceptional

I love a (Bacardi limited edition) Daiquiri but have been struggling to get the right balance for my 50% Husk pure cane agricole. These proportions of lime and sugar syrup balance it out nicely!!

Worth trying, the Poire William adds a touch of complexity, but I would halve the quantities next time.

For Last Word Lovers, this is my go-to when limes are not around, or ridiculously expensive.

I used what I could get my hands on: Antica Distilleria Quaglia Violetta Liqueur as Creme de Violette is no where to be found. I added some syrup from Amarena Fabbri. David Selle's comment of adding the violette to the glass first and shaking the rest resulted in a delightful cocktail.

I tried it with both lime and lemon juice and prefer the lime (same with the 20th Century).

Hi Rachel, where are you in the world? I’m in Australia and have sourced crème de violette here and from NZ.

I find that shaking this cocktail results in a "cloudy" appearance where the pleasing color of the creme de violette is all but lost, but I don't like it stirred. So I shake the drink minus the creme de violette. Then add it to the glass and pour the shaken ingredients on top. Comes out looking (and tasting) great.

Hi David, this is why I too layer it - see my layered aviation!! Also depends what crème de violette you have.