Thanks again! Ok, one last question. What cigars would pair well with a martini or gin in general?
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Haven't found one yet that didn't pair well.
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I totally agree. An ice cold martini seems to highlight rather than mask the cigar flavors I really like.

As for vermouth ... dont be afraid of it. Normally mix 3:1. It's wine and is best when it's fresh rather than some that has been sitting in an opened bottle for months. I recently discovered Lillet ... the best wine mixer for martinis I have ever tried:
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Well said, my martini loving friend.

I'm more of 4:1 or 5:1 but besides that, your post is spot on.
I need to try the Lillet. Heard good things about it.
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OK I'm hooked! :-)

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I tasted the New Amsterdam on its own and was very surprised and pleased. Very smooth with nice flavors. I did approximately the 3:1 mix. I like it a lot for my first attempt. I will definitely play around with the ratio over the next few. Thank you all for the advice & recommendations. Next venture Bloody Mary/Maria recipes but that's another thread.
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Welcome to the fold. :-)
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Another convert. Welcome to the club.
:-)
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Oh . . .
And don't let anyone try and tell you a martini is made with vodka. Otherwise, we'll have to revoke your martini card.
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:-)
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:-):-) Just wanted to add a little James Bond flavor to the mix. I shook it. I swear!. I have to say that it pairs extremely well with the My Father Le Bijou 1922 I'm smoking tonight. It's very clean versus the wine (Franzia) I usually drink while smoking.
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Knew you'd like it.
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I was intrigued by the idea of a Martini a few years ago, I never really liked them though, they were good but didn't taste much different than gin on the rocks. The reason being that thanks to Alton Brown I was basically making cold gin with an olive in it. A few weeks ago I stumbled across a website touting a classic martini, and man what a difference. Vermouth isn't some caustic chemical only to be added so that you can say you're technically not drinking a glass of stirred gin, it's an integral park of the cocktail, who knew? I had a few the other night and they just kept getting better and better.

Unfortunately I'm pretty sure there are only 3 types of Gin in the whole state (Not counting the big plastic Jug), Tangueray, Bombay, and Beefeater. The only Vermouth I've found is Martini & Rossi. Is there a large enough variation in Vermouth for me to go out and try to find something different, or is Martini & Rossi pretty much the standard?
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Welcome to the dark side. :-)

Try varying the proportions of vermouth until you find the ratio you like. You may find different gins marry well in different proportions to vermouth. Martini & Rossi is pretty much the standard. Lillet (mentioned above) is supposed to be a bit better but I have not had it before. It is on my list to try. Buy your vermouth in smaller quatities as it is a wine and will turn bad over time.

There are many great quotes about martinis. Two of my favorites:

"One martini is all right. Two are too many, and three are not enough."
James Thurber

"I like to have a martini, two at the very most --After three I'm under the table, After four, I'm under my host."
Dorothy Parker
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Thanks, I didn't realize the Vermouth would go bad, what's the time frame on that? If it goes as fast as regular white wine I'm pitching it out today. Hopefully it being infused and fortified will buy me more than a day or two.

As for Gin all I have on hand is Beefeater, because while I was looking at the Gin shelf it struck me as probably the most traditional, complete guess though. I kind of settled on 3:1 with the Beefeater, 5:1 tasted like pure Gin to me, 4:1 was great, 3:1 was the best. I did drink them in that order though. Might have something to do with it.
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To the best of my knowledge, vermouth is neither infused nor fortified. Also, white wine should last more than a couple of days. I try and replace my vermouth within a couple of weeks. Refrigerate it and you should be fine but fresh is always better.

There is no correct proportion. Whatever tastes best to you.
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If you need to store the vermouth (or wine) for an extended period, just get a bottle of water, like arrowhead, sparklets, evian, etc... pour out the water, and, over the sink, pour the vermouth (or wine) into the bottle, put the cap on loosely, then start slowly crushing the bottle until the level of liquid is even with the top of the threads. Screw the cap back on and chuck it in the refrigerator. It will last much longer now that you have eliminated the air/oxygen space.
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I've always been a gin and tonic drinker...and my staple gins have always been Tanqueray and Bombay. After reading this thread, I picked up a bottle of Hendricks last night. I shall report upon my first martini very soon!
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My latest purchase. Haven't had a chance to open it up yet.

Counter Gin
"After several months of formulation we believe Counter Gin is destined to “rewrite” what a American gin can and should be. It’s named Counter for a good reason. Unlike so many heavily “Juniper” English and American dry gins, Counter is designed to “show off” the unique flavors of the many “handpicked” botanicals.

You’ll notice this immediately. The juniper berry is a “upfront” essential flavor that all gins must have but after the juniper you can actually pick out the Tarragon, Lavender, Verbena, Cucumber, and the Orange Peel.
This unique gin is a perfect “counter” to the old gins and hopefully, begins a new chapter in what a thoughtful, creative small craft distilled product can be."

Sounds intriguing to me.

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I think someone brought some to Shack two years ago. It tasted a lot like whiskey if that's what that stuff was.
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