I‘m a barkeeper and I would not recommend chilling your spirits before stirring/shaking them. Espacially in a Martini cocktail, dilution is a thing we want. dilution is always correlated to the temperature of the liquids. so the colder your liquids are from the beginning, the less dilution you will get and your cocktail will be stronger. Also most bars don’t work with chilled spirits in cocktails. Also, the first martini you made looks like a great dry martini to me. (one olive is enough though) your second martini is not a dry martini. However, there is no such thing as wrong or right when making your martinis. Just make it the way you like it, shaken or stirred, they both got their benefits. If you want to upgrade your martini game, have a look for other vermouths like noilly prat or dolin. Nonetheless i really enjoyed the little digression.

Steve, love this, you should make this a kinda series on teaching coctails

There are three components to a martini, which make or break the drink: 1. Temperature/Dilution of the cocktail 2. Ratio of ingredients 3. Quality of ingredients If you've never been a fan of martini's, there's a pretty decent chance any one of these was the issue, and knowing those three things will help you to make adjustments based on your preferences. Temperature and dilution are key to this drink. It should be as cold as humanly possible, with a decent amount of dilution to soften the edges of the straight booze that goes into it. Imagine you are in a crowded room, shoulder to shoulder with people. It's stuffy and uncomfortable, and its hard to get to know the all the people around you. But when someone opens the door to an adjacent space, everybody has more room to move around and be comfortable. That is what dilution does to a drink. It opens up a space for the flavors to expand and interact comfortably. The ratio of ingredients is pretty subjective, but its important to know what ratio you like. Do you like it boozier? Do you like it more subdued and low-gravity? It's the difference between giving your glass a rinse with vermouth, and going full-on, 2:1 with your chosen spirit and the vermouth. Lastly, and most importantly, is the quality of ingredients. No offense to Steve here, but Martini & Rossi Extra Dry is the Natty Light of vermouth. You really cannot buy much lower shelf than that, except maybe Gallo, and even then, I find it preferable to M&R. Look for Cocchi Americano, Carpano, or even Cinzano in a pinch. There are hundreds, probably even thousands of others, but the three mentioned are good standards to lean on. Buy the little 375ml bottles if possible, so you're not wasting a bunch, unless you really hit the martini's hard and can go through the full 750ml in a month. As an addendum to the last point, and probably most important of all, Vermouth SHOULD BE STORED IN THE FRIDGE AT ALL TIMES until it's time to make cocktails, and once you're done, back in the fridge. After a month, its a good idea to test it to see if its time to dump it. Vermouth is a fortified wine, it isn't a liquor/liqueur, which means there isn't enough alcohol in it to preserve it. Imagine leaving a bottle of white wine on your counter for multiple weeks. That's the same as letting your bottle of vermouth sit on your counter/bar cart indefinitely, and probably the biggest factor when it comes to people's disdain for martini's.

Steve we need a negorini recipe! That’s my go to always!

I seriously am so happy I found your channel! You had the best video on a great martini and really helped to simplify it! Also, I'm drooling over all the pasta recipes

This was great. The best martini is the one YOU like. All that gatekeeping gets tedious. And the best martini outside of what you get at your favorite bar is the one you make at home. Love how Steve did not get all fussy with the clear ice cubes. Cloudy home refrigerator ice is fine. Your local water might even add some nuance. As others have said, I'd love to see more cocktail videos.

Love your channel!! Keep on making great food.

Love it!!! Thanks for the cocktail knowledge

Great video. I’m more a whiskey guy and not a fan of olives so I’ve never branched into martinis but your drink sounds worth a try. As always, it’s all about technique! Thanks for the breakdown of terms too!

This man just elevated a classic. He speaks my love language! Wine and dine

amazing video as always man. great instruction and presentation. the dirty martini on the rocks with a twist looks phenomenal!

Mezzetta Jalapeno stuffed Olives I use in my extra dirty martini, vodka Grey Goose, its just uncommonly smooth, we keep it in the freezer. and the slightly spicy olive with jalapeno and the salty spicy brine is truly addictive. they are delicious. great post.

Love this! Please post more cocktails!

Well sir, this guide was so well made, honestly comprehensive and easy to digest. Here ya go! Yup have a new sub, well done mate.

Thoroughly enjoying your videos - great range, thanks for sharing

Nice. I like that your channel has information about drinks. Beverages are a big part of a great dining experience.

I really appreciate you, your videos, your very "everyday" kinda person approach to the cooking you do. Sometimes I feel like I need to be chef with 20 years under my belt just to cook a dish that I see on other channels let alone all the niche and hard to find ingredients they use *I'm VERY rural east coast Canada* so some stuff is hard to find. But watching your videos makes me feel like I'm with a friend showing me the ropes. And I like that, makes me excited to cook and less pressure/stress. Even though I'm just cooking for me at the end of the day, it feels good to have that "homie" and "homey" feel! Thanks a ton! You're the best :)

This was awesome and really learned a lot! Keep it up dude!

I’m so glad I watched your video, I’m trialing some cocktails and this was perfect.

Steve just discovered your channel about a month or less ago. Love all the videos and will be thumbing up all of them as they are super inspiring. You can really see your appreciation and love for food. Also we share the same birthday.

I have loved all of your videos but this is my favourite. I financed four degrees working as a bartender and always loved my evenings almost as much as my research. Used to get high praise for my dry martinis. No vermouth even as a rinse. Five drops of scotch. When out I order a "very dirty medium gin martini" and take what I get. We bartenders all have our own ideas. At home I keep my gin and vodka in the freezer and vermouth and olive brine in the fridge. one part brine, two parts dry vermouth, two parts Luksusowa vodka ( a real potato vodka ) and 8 parts Tanqueray Gin. Stir and then add a giant honking ice cube. But I also hate the classic martini glass so off tomorrow to buy some coupe glasses - a great idea. Thank you!

Love dirty martinis but always ordered them when out for dinner but wanted to make one at home. Learned so much from your video!

I may not know exactly what I’m talking about, but I’m sure this video was easier to make than your typical food video. I’d definitely be interested in you posting more of these with your food videos. Exploring other alcohol, maybe margaritas next ?

Thanks for the tip on the olive brine. I shake my martinis and serve them up because I prefer them super cold with a few ice shards. More cocktail videos please. I love your channel!

Me watching a full video of something I can't have for another 6 years, being 15 is so fun

When I was a bar tender a customer came in and asked for the dries martini I could make. I thought for a couple minuets. Then I thought a splash of Scotch..... drain it and made it. She absolutely loved it and would never let anyone else make her one but me.

I love your videos. You got a lot of things right. Just some constructive feedback, as a bartender at pretty reputable cocktail bar. I think you missed a few things. One big thing being that classic martini's typically have orange bitters. Also, you really can have cocktail quality brine without buying from a brand like Filthy(they do make quality products). Any QUALITY green olive brine you like can make for a great dirty martini, the trick is you have to run it through a coffee filter to the get the sediment out. There's no exact time frame on stirring so taste as you go. And Steve you're a man of quality ingredients, so I think you it up a bit and look into Dolin Dry Vermouth. I think you'll notice a pretty big difference.

I'm a martini lover and I make mine as follows: 4 parts of Gordon's Gin (natural spicy taste) and 1 part of Noilly Prat (extremely dry French vermouth) stirred in a pre-cooled martini glass (I know they're stupid but I love the tradition) leaving just one small ice cube to keep it cool when adding the mixture. I do happen to love olives so they are a must and I dirty it up with just a little olive brine. Mmmmm, delicious.

Great video as usual, good to rediscover this Italian monument!

Great presentation!!!

Appreciate the fact that you dispelled shaking vs.stirred! Stirring is the classic method, also applicable to a Manhattan!

I appreciate this educational video. Thank you!

Great video, very informative! Thank you!

This was a great video from a trusted "friend". So educational and so much fun. I'm going to have to try the dirty with a twist as I am entering the spirit world... Thank you! ❤🐾

most excellent video NOT ANOTHER COOKING SHOW. I broke that thumbs up on your video. Keep up the first-rate work.

funny. it's my goto cocktail too! in and out dry martini to be precise! basically chilled gin with just the faintest hint of vermouth ... vermouth only used to dirt the ice

Finally got a place behind the bar at my work~ thanks for the lessons.

I'm a serious cocktail enthusiast. Love a Martini. A classic Sidecar is my go to drink as well.

This is actually a solid introductory video for people getting into working at finer dining restaurants where Martinis are an often ordered cocktail.

Brother I know you dont know any of us from a can of paint but Im a 20 year kitchen junkie and started bartending 3 weeks ago as a side gig. Bartending is so much like cooking its unreal to me. Please bring this content !!!

Thank you. Great info.

Thank you, I learned a lot today from you; I agree with you with my experience.

thank you for this one

I don't drink but I'm so glad you made this because one of my worst fears was ordering my first drink by myself and not knowing what to do lol.

Great video. I need to try that Martini on the rocks. Regarding James Bond; the theory I have heard is that he liked them shaken, not stirred as it diluted the drink. This way he appeared to be drinking a big amount but he was more likely to not get drunk.

I’ve tried multiple martinis over the years and always gotten different results every time. Sometimes better a few terrible…. Thanks for the explanation and the recommendation! I’m excited to try it.

That presentation was nice 😊

Commenting and watching for the algorithms. Martinis are one of America's greatest inventions. You are doing the Lord's work promoting them my friend. I love the preference. For instance I would never order a vodka martini 😆 dry or classic up stirred for me 🍸 but that's the beauty of a martini it's like jazz and you are encouraged to improvise. Cheers friends 🍻

Been making martinis for my wife and me for almost 30 years, but still learned stuff from this vid. Might even try one with vodka.

I will try this. Thank you.

love extra dirty martinis with bleu cheese stuffed olives. I also prefer shaken, there is a difference and I like it. too each his own! thanks for sharing

great job paisano

Great Video - I too prefer vodka in my martini, but I make mine with just a cap full of vermouth, a 1/8 lemon wedge, and freshly cracked black pepper. I also prefer the traditional martini glass - fantastic.

Nice video. Good info. I was a bartender in NYC in the 80s, and I had a customer named Otto, an old German guy who was the bartender at Lutece. He had gone to bartender school in Germany, probably pre-WWII. He taught me to use the cocktail spoon correctly. I’ve never seen anyone do it the way he taught me. It would be difficult to explain, so maybe I’ll make a video. Anyway, love your cooking videos. Your cocktail stirring chops are close, but I wish I could show you what Otto showed me.

You're amazing thank you!

Great video 📷 pal. Thank you 👍

Very well presented. Your martini recipe sounded balanced. I would suggest eating the olive just before your last sip. It was incredibly juicy.

A stirred, very dry martini with a twist and olives on the side is perfect!

Very cool Coos. - Thanks.

Love to see more content like this, good job

James Bond actually ordered a Vesper Martini. This was explained in Casino Royale. It is a combination of gin and vodka. The drink first appeared in his book “Casino Royale,” which was published in 1953, and the cocktail is named for the fictional double agent Vesper Lynd. When Bond orders the Vesper, he provides strict instructions to the bartender. Bond says: “Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

Here’s the thing about using a pre chilled base spirit when making a cocktail. When you stir the cocktail to chill it, a pre chilled spirit is not going to allow the ice to melt as much and not allowing water to be introduced into the cocktail. Water is vital in a well balanced cocktail because is softens the cocktail a bit and helps bridge the spirit with the vermouth making it a more balanced drink. It really doesn’t serve to pre chill the spirit as that is what the ice does plus adds the necessary water for a better cocktail.

My favorite as well!

Now that looks nice..... only had a few and they blew my socks off.... your mixture actually looks nice - I'll have to look further into your page... thanks!!

Favorite martini for myself: Tito's, dry and slightly dirty. But give me all the olives....lol, I love me some olives. But this tutorial was great, I love knowing the different aspects. I remember when I was in my 20's I realized I needed a "signature cocktail" so if the server came by and I was in conversation, I didn't have to scramble. It is the martini or an old fashioned I go to.

Love Tito’s, it’s the best vodka! But, I have been a gin (and tonic) gal lately. Great video.

Best "how to make martinis" video ever!! Seriously, all others are too complicated for some reason

I've ALWAYS said "straight up" to mean mixed on ice and strained. Never got a warm gin when ordering straight up.

A very good way to explain for the drink. For not liquor drinker

I prefer a Gibson where as my wife likes a Martini. I make then fairly wet with one part Dolin Dry Vermouth to four parts Plymouth, Tanqueray or Hendricks gin. Three olives for her and as many cocktail onions that I can fit on a skewer for me.

Around here (Los Angeles) you get vodka and dry by default. I have to specify gin (Bombay for me) and wet or even "put some vermouth in it" to the dense bartenders I often encounter.

Nice, more cocktail vids please.

This made me think. Way back in the 60's my older brother was a bartender in a high rise rotating restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. When he left, he brought home an oversized "rolodex" filled with recipe cards for the drinks he made. I wish I had that now.

Tanks. Interesting. 👍

Beautiful

Excellently done! I can never truly throw away the vermouth though…🍸

Fantastic video - Ian Fleming was an MI5 agent and wrote about what it was like, quite interesting but I do like what I saw with the Martini's you made!

I like mine strong and dry 6:1 w/3 olives up. Cheers!

Thankyou so much for this idea master. Ihave an idea to make a martini extra dry ❤

Steven I am new. I love your style. Sometimes simple is best. We can cook together. Next time I am in I’m in the city I hope we can cook. Totally serious… I have a few tips too. In saying this I loved your tip on grating garlic. I was shocked when you did your sauce/gravy. I also make it same way… I am baking now and making egg pasta. Having a blast watching you. Thank you!!!

Nice!

Steven! Awesome stuff, when can we come over? Hahaha, you're welcome here anytime for that dirty twisted rocky martini. Thanks for your show, you have helped me become a much better cook. Mike

starting with a cold spirit means you won’t get dilution from the ice. also, gin is clearly the way to go. :)

Some of the best gins I have tasted are American. Aviation and Death’s Door in particular.

Love this but stirring allows for same amount of ice melt if you were shake it and shaking it chills it better. Also when you put ice to chill glass, add water!

Awesome I could get into this! Can you do a Moscow mule? Those are refreshing af and are my go-to drank.

My mother and father shared martinis before dinner. Mom always withheld her olive for me when when the pimento changed from real pimento to a macerated pimento, I knew the difference right away been a long time since I had a real martini knew the difference right away.

ooof, the moment you brought out the vodka I had to sign off

Bombay Saphire- a slight spray of Nolly Pratt vermouth- shaken Served bleeding 🥶 cold.. (a few ice chips suspended in the center) 3 blue cheese stuffed olives.. Guaranteed to “get you there” In short order……

First: Do you have any clue, just how much great info you crammed into only 12 minutes? Second: you just got a new subscriber. Third: I have never been a huge martini fan, but am now really excited to try, experiment, learn, and enjoy. Last (and not least): Thank you for a GREAT mixology class that is secretly posing as a KZfaq video. Cheers!

I’ve heard that Noel Coward’s recipe for the perfect Martini was to pour very good gin into a glass, wave the glass in the general direction of Italy (whence he felt the best Vermouth was produced) and enjoy.

What about the Gibsons??? I like Onions, any Thoughts?

Have you gone to bars who serve your martini w small ice cubes vs the large cube? Or do u request the large cube?

I also like using a dash of orange bitters. Onion as a garnish a.k.a. Gibson. So, what would you call it if you garnish with olives, onions and a twist?

I ordered a Martini in Aarau, Switzerland. The waiter looked at me like I was speaking Aramaic. I got a tall glass of vermouth, neat. Won't make that mistake again. I only ever ordered the local beer on subsequent trips. I like Sapphire martinis up with only a thin film of vermouth and a big honkin' stuffed olive.

James Bond ordered shaken and not stirred BECAUSE it diluted the alcohol more. It was on purpose to keep a more clearer head because he was on the job! 👍

I love the Filthy brand of cocktail onions, which are twice the size of regular ones. The brine is delicious and I add that instead of olive to my wet martinis with vodka. Not a fan of gin either. Nice video thanks!

Dry Vermouth is also a great substitute for sake in dishes!

Yes shaking adds some air and dilution but a shaken martini still has some benefits because when you shake a martini that is not finely strained some of the ice chips come out and float on the top. These ice chips in a dry martini with a lemon twist make for a very refreshing beverage

I’m not a big vodka guy, but I’d try your martini. Personally I prefer whiskey and bourbon. Maybe make an old fashioned next?