How to Make a Classic Martini

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The days of the three-martini lunch may be over, but this sophisticated drink will never go out of style.

Step 1: Chill glass
Chill the martini glass by filling it with ice and water and set it aside.

Tip
Martinis should be very cold—storing your martini and mixing glass in the freezer will keep your finished drink even cooler, longer.

Step 2: Fill with ice
Fill the mixing glass with ice.

Step 3: Add gin
Add the gin.

Tip
A traditional martini is made with gin, but a vodka martini simply replaces one liquor with the other.

Step 4: Add dry vermouth
Add the dry vermouth.

Tip
A dry martini has less vermouth—for a very, very dry martini, just coat the ice cubes with vermouth, then dump out the actual liquor.

Step 5: Stir
Stir with the spoon about 50 times, making sure your liquids are well mixed and chilled by the ice. Save the "shaken, not stirred" shtick for a James Bond martini.

Step 6: Empty & wipe
Empty the ice water from the now-chilled martini glass and quickly wipe the inside to remove any trace of moisture.

Step 7: Strain into glass
Strain the gin and vermouth mixture into the martini glass.

Step 8: Garnish
Garnish your martini with one or three olives – tradition holds that only an odd number of olives should be used in a martini – and serve.

Did You Know?
Winston Churchill liked his martinis so dry that he reportedly made them with straight gin, looked at a bottle of vermouth across the room, and drank.