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Shared Classics: The Martini

Learn a new take on the vodka Martini from Ryan, who also demonstrates a classic gin Martini. Lynnette makes a Bond-style Vesper and a Martinez, a Manhattan/Martini hybrid that originated in the late 1800s.

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Topics include: Gin Martini · Vodka Martini · Vesper · Martinez

Preview

[00:00:00.00] [JAZZY MUSIC] [00:00:20.40] - So some of those intimate drinks are perfect when you need something solo. But there's something magical about a drink where you get to make it for another person, or a little group, intimate gathering. So having some drinks that are perfect shared, it's obvious that I led onto something like the martini. [00:00:36.33] This, to me, is not only the kind of perfect aperitif, but it's kind of one of life's perfect moments. The idea of sharing a martini with a loved one, kind of pre-dinner, is ideal. It sets up your palate. It sets up your belly. And there's something about it that just centers you. [00:00:51.33] So there are drinks that you get to put your own personality into the mix. But they also allow you to react to some of their own preferences and the things that you know that they love. So it's a really-- it's kind of a perfect way of being able to kind of give something that makes that connection. It's about sharing. [00:01:06.36] This is one of those drinks where there's nothing to hide behind, but there's also a million ways of making this drink. It's a drink that you can start to choose your favorite customization. It could be a garnish. It could be different brands. It could be different ratios. But it's all about having something that still remains that kind of iconic cocktail. It's something that's crisp. It really does wash across the palate in something in a really fantastical way. It's pretty hard to live up to anything but the martini. [00:01:31.09] And with that said, I kind of have different versions that I turn to. You know, I'm a gin drinker. I love having a gin martini. And to me, that harmony between the gin and the vermouth is what those products were created for. There's a real marriage between the way that they work together. [00:01:45.70] But that doesn't mean I don't also love a vodka martini. A vodka martini, to me, is about that incredible texture. You use a true vodka where it's not been sweetened. It's not had anything added to it. It's about the character of the grain at its heart. Whatever it's trying to reflect from its own country, its place of origin, it's really about having that wash across your palate. You're drinking it in the way that hundreds of years of traditions have explored in that kind of amazing heritage that vodka has. [00:02:10.59] So I tried to have different versions to play up to that but still ring true to what a martini should be about. So I try and have something that's got this slightly more voluptuous feel, of the way a gin martini can really function. It's got a little bit more weight to it, a little bit more body. And you get that interplay between the aromatics, and then this clean texture, this wash across your palate with a vodka martini. [00:02:33.51] [JAZZY MUSIC] [00:02:43.13] So to try and play to these different styles, I kind of approach making them in a slightly different way. So with the vodka martini, I want to be able to ...

About the Instructor

James Beard honoree Lynnette Marrero has been at the forefront of the NYC craft cocktail movement. Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) is the founder of Dandelyan, named the world’s best bar. They will teach you the essentials of cocktail making, from developing your palate to building your home bar. Learn how to mix a perfectly balanced drink for every occasion and mood—and become your friends’ new favorite bartender.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Lynnette Marrero & Ryan Chetiyawardana

World-class bartenders Lynnette and Ryan (aka Mr Lyan) teach you how to make perfect cocktails at home for any mood or occasion.

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