Nearly all martinis are perfect in my eyes, except for those made with vodka(!), but the Perfect Martini gets its name from the equal measures of both sweet and dry vermouth. This can be applied to other cocktails like the Perfect Manhattan, for example.
The Perfect Martini is another pre-prohibition cocktail and is featured in the Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book (1935). Two recipes are listed, ‘Perfect’ which is garnished with lemon peel and Perfect No. 2 which uses an olive instead.
If you are new to martinis and a little afraid of the drier variety, this is a great choice. It’s a richer martini than most and has a great flavour profile. Try experimenting with different combinations of vermouth.
I decided to make a Perfectly Australian Martini No. 2, using Melbourne Gin Company Dry gin and Maidenii vermouth. To be historically accurate, either Old Tom gin or Plymouth would have been used.
Ingredients for a Perfect Martini No. 2
60ml gin
15ml dry vermouth
15ml sweet vermouth
Olive
Method
Stir all the gin and vermouth over ice for 45-50 seconds before double straining into a chilled glass. Garnish with an olive.
Enjoy!
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