Top Twin Cities area bartenders tell you how to make the perfect classic martini

The best martinis are bone-chillingly cold. Like the shock of an icy plunge after a hot sauna, they are crisp and assertive, bracing and refreshing.

That's what makes them such good winter drinks.

"Because it's mostly gin or vodka or some combination of the two, it keeps you warm even though it's ice cold," said Scott Weller, bar manager at All Saints in Minneapolis.

And there's nothing more classic — and stylish — this time of year, when swinging holiday parties are practically begging for a martini bar.

"There's something about 1970s holiday marketing that makes us associate martinis with Christmas," said Brian Kunz, beverage director for Josefina in Wayzata. "It's almost a retro throwback where it's cool again."

And, "it's not really an overly complicated cocktail," Kunz said, which makes it easier for home bartenders to customize to their liking. The core elements are simply a spirit and vermouth, usually in a 2-to-1 ratio (some makers skip the vermouth altogether), plus a couple drops of bitters. Garnish as you please.

The simplicity is something drinkers are returning to, after cocktails became exceptionally complicated over the past few years.

"There are still a lot of crazy, elaborate, 12-ingredient cocktails out there, but sometimes it's nice to rein things back a bit and understand that the classics are classics for a reason," Weller said.

That doesn't mean there's no room to improve on the basic formula. To professional bartenders, a martini is a blank canvas.

At Josefina, Kunz turns the drink up a couple notches. His Vesper-style martini — that means it has both gin and vodka, and Lillet Blanc — is mixed with a house vermouth that's made by soaking Castelvetrano olives, herbs and lemon peel in dry wine.

Served on a golden platter, the martini comes with a skewer of olives and a cocktail onion, an eyedropper of olive juice to make it as dirty as you wish, a carafe of extra martini on ice (free refills, in a way), and, for those who order one, a single oyster.

"It's a classic pairing, oysters and martinis," Kunz said. "It's the salinity."

At Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis, an aquavit-based martini pairs the aromatic spirit with herbs. Orange bitters are infused with rosemary, and the cocktail is garnished with a sprig of dill and a lemon peel.

"Dill is really appropriate for this time of year," said bar manager Cameron Trimble. "You get floral notes from the blanc vermouth, and I think it goes great with citrus, like lemon and orange. It's herbaceous, clean, refreshing."

All Saints' riff on a Gibson martini, which underscores the savory notes of the drink by garnishing with a cocktail onion, goes a step further by steeping vermouth with scallions that have been charred on the restaurant's wood-fire grill.

"It adds this cool, subtle, savory, smoky element to it," Weller said.

He garnishes the Gibby with a couple dashes of white balsamic vinegar and a salt-and-pepper tincture, "just as a little bow on it, to have everything connect."

It might sound more like a salad than a cocktail, but "it still drinks like a martini," Weller said. "It has all these savory nods to it that work really well with food."

And considering that the cocktail is 99% booze, some food is probably a good idea.

Follow these tips from local bartenders, and discover your own recipe.

A classic martini consists of gin or vodka and vermouth in a 2-1 ratio. But it doesn't stop there. The drink has almost infinite combinations — and we're not even talking about sugary, juice-laden drinks posing as sophisticated cocktails.

A 50/50 ups the vermouth to equal the amount of spirit. A perfect martini contains both sweet and dry vermouth. A Vesper combines both gin and vodka. A dirty martini invites you to splash in some olive brine and serve with skewered olives. A Gibson replaces the olives with a cocktail onion. And don't forget about a lemon twist.

Like your drink even more spirit-forward? Skip the vermouth altogether. Want to feel like you're sipping the leftover liquid in a jar of olives? You do you. Or, make a martini like Winston Churchill, and just put some chilled gin in a glass.

Because the spirit is the main ingredient, Weller suggests splurging on a top-shelf brand. "There isn't really anywhere for anything to hide," he said. "The most expensive doesn't necessarily mean the best tasting, so I think a nice midrange vodka or gin that you enjoy is really going to get the job done."

While martinis are typically stirred, which lets ice dilute the alcohol as it cools it, there's no law against shaking, which leaves little flecks of ice chips floating on top. But starting with cold ingredients is even more important than how you prepare the drink. "The colder the better," said Josefina's Brian Kunz.

Cameron Trimble at Alma suggests storing your vermouth in the fridge, both to keep it cold and to slow down the oxidation process. He also suggests experimenting.

"There's really no wrong answer when it comes to proportions and a martini," he said. "I love the martini because it's so delicate, but also you can make it however you like, and it doesn't lose what it is. It's still a martini."

Makes 1.

• 4 tbsp. (2 oz.) dry gin

• 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) dry vermouth

• 1 dash bitters, optional

• Olives or lemon peel for garnish

Directions

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir vigorously until well-chilled. Taste frequently until mixture reaches desired flavor. If the alcohol is too assertive, let sit 30 seconds to allow ice to dilute the mixture, and stir again. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a skewer of olives or a lemon peel.