F is for Martinis.....

Enough said!

Its FRIDAY and that means Martini and Movie night for me. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a sucker for a good martini and by martini, I mean the original, authentic, one and only dry gin (sometimes dirty) martini. For the record, the Cosmopolitain, Chocolate, Lychee, Apple etc. martinis are not, I repeat, not real martinis; they are mixed drinks in a martini glass. Period.

They say the martini started in 1862   in a town called Martinez, California, USA.  A miner struck gold and went into a saloon to celebrate - the bartender called it a "Martinez special" and gave him some gin with sweet vermouth.

Others say it originated from the Martini Rosso import (sweet red vermouth from Italy) in the 1870's.  Bartenders would mix the Vermouth with gin to clarify the colour and called it a Martini.

The truth of the matter is that noone really has a concrete history on the magnificent martini but I know one thing for sure - they are the happiest part of my week!

Here are some awesome martini glasses I enjoy:

Gorgeous, right?  They can be purchased at Swarovski.com ($500 / pair).

Check out these fun glasses from Got Martini:

 Also from  Got Martini, a fun one just for, well, fun:

I can't leave without sharing the recipe for the perfect, classic martini:

Classic Martini Ingredients

75ml (or approx 2+ 1/2 oz) Gin
15ml (or approx 1/4 oz) Dry Vermouth
1 green olive OR a twist of lemon peel
6 ice cubes

Classic Martini Directions

Into a mixing glass, toss a handful of ice cubes (about half a dozen), then pour in the Gin and the Vermouth.
Stir well. Some may prefer shaken!
Strain and pour into a martini glass.
To finish, either drop a green olive into the bottom of the martini glass OR arrange a twist of lemon peel on the edge of the martini glass.

Thats all for today...have a fabulous Friday.

Enjoy and CHEERS!!!