Browsing old magazine ads through Google Books, I was struck by how infrequently I saw 80 proof gin before the 1950s/60s. Do you think there is any connection between the decreasing gin strength and the removal of vermouth from Dry Martini recipes of the time? Maybe to keep the strength of the finished cocktail the same? Or was it more of a coincidence?
Robert Hess: I personally think we have two independant incidents happening at roughly the same time. The removal of vermouth in the Martini happened pretty quickly after we came out of prohibition
I personally think we have two independant incidents happening at roughly the same time. The removal of vermouth in the Martini happened pretty quickly after we came out of prohibition
I think we sometimes attribute too much to the effects of the US Prohibition, obviously it cannot be understated but mixed drinks were still being consumed globally and if anything the wars had more effect on vermouth exports/sales.
Back to the thread topic, the abv of spirit has almost always related to taxation so I'd doubt the changes in Martini recipes had anything to do with that.
To me it seems pretty straight-forward it was a case of the Martini evolving from sweet to dry (as many drinks were, see increase of lighter spirits and citrus). A timeline of recipes in print would back this up (as shown in my article posted earlier), whilst the decrease in bitters consumption (primarily medicinal) also coincided with the 1906 Pure Food & Drug Act. Couple this with hundreds of recipes calling for gin/vermouth/bitters and it's no wonder so many variants fell under the banner of Martini.
I've been gathering a timeline of recipes with drinks calling for spirit/vermouth/bitters and a book such as Jack's Manual (1908) provides a startling insight into the number of different drinks there were consisting of these ingredients whilst also being remarkably similar (the following were from just 4 pages - note the Martini and Dry Martini).
Christie Cocktail: 2 dashes Peychaud's, 50% gin, 50% French vermouth
Cris Cocktail: 2 dashes Maraschino, 50% gin, 50% French vermouth
Consolidated Cocktail: 75% dry gin, 25% French vermouth
Dorr Cocktail: 30% French Vermouth, 60% dry gin, 10% Italian vermouth
Dry Martini Cocktail: 50% gin, 50% French vermouth
Martini Cocktail: 1 dash orange bitters, 50% dry gin, 50% Italian vermouth
Perfect Cocktail: 50% gin, 50% Italian vermouth
Consultancy, training and events - www.evo-lution.org
Boker's Bitters and Dandelion & Burdock Bitters - www.bokersbitters.co.uk
The Jerry Thomas Project - www.thejerrythomasproject.blogspot.com
You're basically right - although with the inclusion of a non-bitter orange tincture, paired with the bitterness from the grapefruit twist, I chose to call it something other than a [fill-in-the-blank] Martini.
Were it not a standard Martini recipe, I would not have included it in the discussion of Dry Martini recipes. The use of the sweeter Blanc notwithstanding...
Cheers!