Tony Abou-Ganim's Top Tips For The Best Martini Every Time - Exclusive
We spoke to Tony Abou-Ganim, master bartender and author of "The Modern Mixologist," recently at the Nassau Paradise Island Wine and Food Fest's Jerk Jam and asked him to share his top tips for making the best martini every time. After all, there are some key ingredients that make a martini perfect. One essential ingredient for Abou-Ganim is vermouth. If you're new to vermouth and are stumped with which brand to pick for your next martini, we've ranked 15 popular vermouth brands.
Another top tip Abou-Ganim shared is that the vermouth must always be fresh. To keep vermouth fresh, he advised, "Make sure that you treat your vermouth like a wine so that once you open it, top on, refrigerate, and try to consume it within six to eight weeks because it will oxidize as a wine will." He also recommended buying 12-ounce bottles or the smaller .375 vermouth bottles. The reason? "My martini recipe is a half an ounce of vermouth, then two ounces of gin. So, half an ounce times 12 times a month is like 24 days, so it almost works out perfectly." We joked with Abou-Ganim, noting how his recipe equated to about a martini a day, and he joyfully agreed.
Good ice, a good glass, and a little love are the secret ingredients to a perfect martini
As for the gin portion of the martini, Tony Abou-Ganim is not as picky. "I would like whatever the gin is," he stated, but then he did emphasize being a huge Bombay Sapphire fan. "Four parts gin, one part dry vermouth, stirred, straight up with a twist of lemon," he recommended for a perfect martini every time.
Then, Abou-Ganim added, "Good ice, good glass. Good gin and good garnish." Your ice needs to be good, made from clean water, as you shouldn't use just any ice for your martini. The glass you choose for your martini is also important, as martini glasses serve both function and form. Their long stems prevent our hands from warming the drink. Each glass can hold about 8 ounces of martini, and the wide rims allow us to nose and enjoy all of the aromas and flavors of the drink. Finally, there is one last tip Abou-Ganim shared with us: "And the key ingredient is love," he concluded.