My Gin Martini recipe is a classic cocktail that every at-home bartender should know how to make. Made with only two ingredients, but with my tips, it will be top-notch.
When it comes to date night, my husband and I love to sit at the bars in our favorite restaurants. There is something that makes us feel more like friends sitting right next to each other as we enjoy a cocktail and dinner.
Being an at-home bartender doesn’t have to be intimidating. You don’t even need a lot of fancy equipment; my essentials are a cocktail shaker, a strainer, and a jigger. If you don’t have the budget to buy sets of four high end glasses, hitting up thrift stores and look for used sets of two works great!
And of course, for the best tips on making perfect cocktails, come here. We have so many recipes for classic cocktails and lots of great tips and tricks so they come out perfectly at home.
Today we are making a classic gin martini and I have a few simple pointers that will make it absolutely perfect.
How to Make a Gin Martini
This is a really simple two-ingredient cocktail, but there are a few steps that will help your gin martini recipe turn out perfectly. For the ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Prepare the shaker. Fill a glass mixing glass or the mixing cup of a metal martini shaker (the bottom cup part only) with ice cubes (not crushed ice).
- Add cold gin and cold vermouth.
- Stir until the mixing glass or metal cup frosts.
- Strain the martini into a chilled glass.
Best Gin For a Martini
Fortunately, you can find gin at multiple different price points and quality levels. Our preference is always Bombay Sapphire, which is also delicious in my Gin and Tonic. While it is often the cheapest of these options, it is what we pick in blind taste tests, hands down.
- On the high end of price points, you will find Monkey 47, considered a premium gin.
- Lower on the price list, you will find Hendrick’s and Tanqueray.
As with anything, you should pick what works best for you and what you like the flavor of.
Best Served Cold
The key to a good dry gin martini is to serve it really cold. There are a few things we are going to do to accomplish that, but it starts with storing the gin and dry vermouth in the freezer. Because of the alcohol content in them, they won’t freeze, but they will be perfectly chilled for your martini.
Other ways we make your cocktail cold:
- Mix the cold ingredients with ice cubes. This will dilute the drink slightly as the ice melts in the glass, but will keep it cold.
- Serve it in a chilled martini glass. See more on this below.
Chilling Your Martini Glass Quickly
Recently my brother taught me a trick: To keep your coffee hot longer, fill the mug you will drink it out of with hot water while the coffee is brewing. Warming the mug will keep your coffee hotter for longer.
The same principle holds true with a good martini. Filling the martini glass with ice and cold water and letting it sit for a minute while you gather the ingredients and make the cocktail will chill your glass quickly. Toss out the ice and water before straining your martini ingredients into the chilled glass and enjoy a cocktail that stays cooler longer.
Martini Glass
Martini Garnishes
Gin martini recipes are usually served with either a green olive or a lemon twist for a garnish.
Traditionally, a lemon twist (or curl of a lemon peel) is run around the rim of the martini glass. Then you squeeze it into the cocktail and drop it in. Serving your gin martini with a twist adds just a pinch of acidity to your gin cocktail.
Make a Dirty Gin Martini
To make a dirty gin martini, add a splash of olive brine or the juice from a jar of green olive pieces to the recipe. This adds a salty and savory flavor commonly loved in the classic dirty martini with vodka.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t use crushed ice. Crushed ice will melt faster and dilute your cocktail. Ice cubes will be easier to strain out of the cocktail when pouring it into your glass.
- Stir don’t shake. Cocktails that are spirit-forward or made with only liquor are stirred, while drinks that contain more mixers or are more complex are commonly shaken to better combine the ingredients.
- Switch out gin for vodka. If you don’t enjoy the botanical or piney flavor of gin, make your martini with vodka like in the classic dirty martini.
Other Great Gin Cocktails
I love a great classic gin cocktail. Here are a few of my favorites:
- The French 75 is my all-time favorite champagne cocktail.
- I love turning a traditional Moscow Mule into a Gin Mule.
- And if you are looking for a lower-calorie cocktail, make my Gin Rickey!
If you make any of my cocktails, leave me a comment and let me know! I love hearing from you!
Gin Martini
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin chilled
- 1/2 ounce dry vermouth (1 tablespoon) chilled
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass by filling it with ice and cold water. Set aside.
- In the metal cup of a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes (not crushed ice).
- Add the gin and dry vermouth to the shaker and stir.
- Empty the ice water from the cocktail glass, and strain the cocktail mixture into it.
- Add a lemon twist or a cocktail olive for garnish.
Toomanybooks says
What is the best way to measure 2 ounces of gin and 1/2 ounce of vermouth? A jigger normally holds one and one-half ounces. It would be difficult, at least for me, just to eyeball what 1/2 additional ounce would be in the jigger. A glass measuring cup seems too big. I usually prefer a manhattan but I’m going to try this using your method. Thanks!
My jigger has a 2 ounce end, and I highly recommend getting one that has one ounce on one side and two ounces on the other. That said, 1/2 and ounce is a tablespoon. So use your 1 1/2 ounce jigger and then use a tablespoon for the remaining 1/2 ounce.
Cheryl says
Sounds wonderful!! Have you tried Hendricks Gin? Not super expensive, but so smooth!!!
Patrick Smacher says
I would like to recommend a measuring glass for your bar. The one I use is a Gemco measuring glass. It’s about 3.5″ high and 2.5″ wide. It has measurements in oz, from .05oz-4oz plus measurements for tsp. 1tsp-24tsp, tbs. from 1-8tbs, and ml. 10ml-120ml. This one measurement glass will replace all your jiggers and spoons. You can get these in just about any store like W-Mart. It saves me a lot of problems trying to figure out what tools to use. Hopefully this will help you.
I haven’t, but I will next! Thank you for the recommendation!
Carol says
Love using my 4 ounce measuring shot glass. My gin of choice is always herbaceous. Especially love Wild Roots from Sisters, OR. Costco’s Kirkland is also filled with herbs 🪴. I enjoy your recipes, Lisa.
Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoy them!
Tom says
I like my martini very dry. When chilling the glass with ice use vermouth instead of water over the ice. When ready, swirl the glass and toss the ice. Then pour in the gin and garnish.
Super dry martini.
My concern with that is that the ice will just dilute the vermouth.