Start as you mean to go on: make a martini

Photo by Gareth Lewis-Jones

The martini is one of those cocktails that, if you don't know it well already, you might approach it with awe, apprehension or even fear.  It is a glass of steely yet aromatic power.  Made with cheap ingredients, it is a view into the void of a cracking hangover; made with good ingredients, it is a window onto a new plane of existence.

OK, so a tad over the top.  But it's our go-to aperitif in a good bar.  It's a benchmark of cocktail making - and it does exactly what an aperitif should do: open you up for a great meal.

The standard ingredients are gin (London dry style), dry vermouth and a twist of lemon or an olive or two.  You can make using different ratios.  Simon Difford, as ever, has an excellent article on the exactly this.

Here is how to make our favourite 5:1 ratio:

Ingredients

62.5ml gin (London dry style)

12.5ml dry vermouth

Lemon twist (preferably from a fresh, thick-skinned Sicilian lemon)

Method

Add the gin and the vermouth into a stirring glass with ice.  Stir for 25 to 30 seconds - until very well chilled - and double strain into a coupette or a Nick and Nora glass.

Express the oils from the lemon twist over the cocktail, swipe the twist around the rim of the glass, and drop it into the centre of the martini.

Enjoy before the temperature rises.