Make it a Martini

Shaken, stirred or steaming with dry ice—the classic cocktail has never been so cool

The Dirty Martini at Le Tigre in Toronto is just one of countless variations on a cocktail that, more than any other, is an expression of the drinker’s personality. Rick O’Brien photo

Drink trends come and go—remember the Negroni Sbagliato? Frosé?—but through it all, the Martini persists. For over 100 years, fans of the drink (James Bond, Lucille Bluth, Carrie Bradshaw, Winston Churchill) have sipped fervently and ask for theirs by specifics: bone-dry, brine-packed, with olives or a twist.

Recently, the drink’s popularity has been pushed into overdrive. “The Martini has become really trendy,” says Calum Wilson, director of food and beverage at the downtown Toronto hotel Revery. “It’s having a huge resurgence right now.”

At Vancouver’s Suyo Modern Peruvian, the Lunar is a play on the Martini that captures the essence of the moon in its briny depths. Chelsea Brown photo

Twists on tradition

It’s not just standard combos of gin, vermouth and olives—this new guard of ’tinis is bigger and flashier than ever before. Maxime’s in Toronto adds dry ice to the shaker so smoke billows over the glass. At Library Bar, the Birdbath Martini costs $75 and includes sturgeon caviar.

Other Martinis consider more surrealist or cerebral concepts, like cultural traditions or sense of place. Cantonese-American restaurant Bonnie’s in Brooklyn adds drops of MSG, for instance. Meanwhile the Lunar at Suyo Modern Peruvian in Vancouver captures the motion of the ocean: Islay gin, oyster shell and a liquid “moon” made with kombu, aquavit and ponzu. Botanist Bar’s equally oceanic version highlights coastal gin, chive oil, oyster leaf (a briny wild herb) and sea asparagus.

“Martinis are, without a doubt, making a comeback,” says Max Curzon-Price of Suyo. “Excitingly, they’re often in new forms. Just as we saw with the Old Fashioned, it’s transcending its specific recipe. The bones are the same, but bartenders seem to be playing with the delicate profiles of a spirit stirred with a little vermouth. I’ve seen sotol served with Spanish vermouth and shochu versions—a take on the ever-more-popular low-ABV Martini.”

Other bartenders flex technique through their Martini. “There’s a gherkin Martini at Bar Pompette that excites me every time I go there—it’s made with a dilly house distillate or a centrifuge? Mixology!” says Cry Baby Gallery and Le Tigre’s co-owner Robert Granicolo, who has made over 45,000 Martinis. “The Coldroom in Montreal makes the best dirty Martini [gin, Lillet, amaretto and bay leaf tincture] I’ve ever had.”

Granicolo has used the popularity of the Martini to drag quirkier (and sometimes tackier) riffs from their graves. At Cry Baby Gallery, a lychee Martini (made with tequila, Calvados and lychee-infused agave) has become one of the most popular cocktails on the menu. (Though the Appletini didn’t quite take off.)

Why is now the time for a Martini boom? After several years stuck at home during the pandemic, a Martini romanticizes the night out—it’s strong, sexy and says, we’re back, baby.

Flip through Instagram and the see-and-be-seens are sloshing around Martinis, carrying them with the importance of a Fendi bag. “Skewered olives in cute stemware are all over social media these days, backdropped by nice manicures and tablecloths,” says Granicolo. “Instagram and TikTok are really influencing popularity, but I’m all for that—it spreads the gospel and keeps people drinking in cocktail bars.”

And with inflation, a lethal Martini offers a serious bang for your buck. “People are tight on spending at the moment, especially during this economic shitstorm,” says Granicolo.

If your dining-out budget has been skewered, a Martini is easy to make at home. “Throw a bottle of vodka in your freezer and dump it in your glass—boom!” says Granicolo. “It’s so much easier and cost effective than the six-ingredient clarified cocktails you find at most cocktail bars.”

At The Library Bar in Toronto, the opulent Birdbath Martini is made with bespoke gin and comes with a sturgeon caviar garnish. Rick O’Brien photo

Beyond trends

While Martinis are popular right now, can they fall out of fashion? Could a Martini ever be uncool? “I hope not,” says Amber MacMullin of Proof in Calgary.

“There’s an enduring appeal to a Martini that extends beyond trends,” hypothesizes Rahil Hoque, COO of Ascari Hospitality Group. “The beauty of a good Martini is hidden in its straightforward composition and simplicity, which makes it truly timeless. Plus, its versatility and ability to be personalized to one’s taste make it a perennial favourite. As long as there are cocktail enthusiasts, the Martini will continue to evolve and inspire.”

He’s got a point: The Martini is endlessly malleable to your mood, making it nearly impossible to grow weary of the drink. Darren Kaushal, beverage operations manager at Vancouver’s Glowbal Group (Black + Blue, Rileys), notes, “It’s a whole different experience if you add a twist or take it shaken, not stirred. Gins with botanicals have completely different profiles from gins with citrus notes. It’s such a personal drink and you can discover your (new) favourite as your palate changes.”

“I’ve always loved that a Martini is both iconic and incredibly malleable,” says James Grant, the beverage director of Fairmont Royal York. “It’s like a fingerprint—every bartender and guest knows how they like a Martini.”

Suyo’s Max Curzon-Price notes that the modern Martini is “transcending its specific recipe.” Chelsea Brown photo

Granicolo agrees—it’s a drink you can project your personality onto. “I enjoy reading a person based on their Martini order. There are some people who can tell you in two or three words exactly what they want. You can also tell when someone has no idea what they’re talking about, but loves the sound of their own voice.”

Sebastian Schwarz, wine and beverage director of Mott 32 Toronto, finds that the Martini is a blank canvas for flavour. “They’re foundations for experimentation,” he says. “If you were to come by Mott 32 and ask me to make you a Martini, I’d ask you about your favourite things, places you’ve visited and types of food you like, etc.”

He’ll match vermouths, bitters, gins and vodkas to the drinker. “Clean and delicately chilled vodka with a few drops of artisanal vermouth. A salty ‘dirty’ gin Martini. A fruity lychee refresher. If a spring walk in Japan is what you’d like to experience, then we can make that. With so many flavours and aromas accessible to us, the possibilities are endless.”

“I’m sure the Martini will settle down for a bit and let another cocktail step back into the spotlight for a while,” says Grant. “But it won’t be gone for long, I’m sure.”

Adds Curzon-Price: “Martinis are, and forever will be, cool.”

—by Kate Dingwall

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