The Naked Martini
For the man who trusts the ginFor the man who trusts the gin
The Martini's history is contested, its evolution documented and disputed in equal measure. The Naked Martini — gin, no vermouth, no dilution beyond a very brief stir — is what remains when you remove everything that isn't gin. It is not for everyone. It announces this immediately.
Ingredients
- 2½ oz
Gin, from the freezer
Store the gin in the freezer. Not chilled — frozen. The bottle should pour like oil.
- 1 dash
Orange bitters
The single concession to anything other than the spirit.
- A whisper
Dry vermouth
Applied by rinsing a chilled mixing glass with a small pour of vermouth and discarding it before the gin touches it. The vermouth never enters the final glass. Its ghost does.
A single Castillo Emparán Manzanilla olive — cured in a private estate in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Served on a separate small plate. Not placed in the drink. Whether you eat it before, during, or after is considered a matter of character.
Method
Keep the gin in the freezer for at least 24 hours prior. Keep the coupe in the freezer for no fewer than thirty minutes.
Rinse a chilled mixing glass with a small pour of dry vermouth. Discard.
Add the frozen gin and orange bitters to the prepared mixing glass.
Stir four times, gently — not to chill, but to integrate.
Strain into the frozen coupe.
Express a lemon peel over the surface. Discard.
"I do not want it mixed with anything. I want to know what I'm dealing with." Members have noted that this is consistent with his approach to most things and that neither approach has ever failed him, publicly.