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| Get shaken but not sloshed |
An American in London hopes to
enlighten us in the arts of the martini. Sunita Rappai gives him
a qualified thumbs up
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Richard Ehrlich in the St John’s in Archway
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TAKING part in a martini tasting session if you don’t like
gin, according to drinks writer Richard Ehrlich, is a little like
being a vegetarian in a steakhouse – not a sensible place to
be.
I don’t like gin. It’s misery inducing and it tastes bad.
But when a ticket came up for Ehrlich’s one man show –
The Martini Monologues – at St John’s, a gastropub in
Junction Road, Archway on Monday, it was hard to resist.
There is something about a martini that is undeniably alluring.
Churchill was a fan, as was legendary American poet Dorothy Parker.
If some drinks are women’s drinks – a Cosmopolitan for
example – and some are for men – a pint of ale –
a martini is a drinker’s drink.
Ehrlich, who lives in Kentish Town and writes a regular column for
the Independent on Sunday, is passionate about martinis. His show,
which includes several samplings of the great drink, is a deft blend
of martini miscellany and helpful tips – all within the relaxed
settings of the St John’s dining room.
The essence of a martini, he begins by telling us – a motley
crew of after-work drinkers, fairly young couples and the odd stray
single – is simplicity. But it is also, he says, one of the
most difficult drinks to get right.
First the basics. It is a strong drink – you can not make a
weak martini. The core materials are gin or vodka with a dash of
vermouth. Both the gin and the vodka should be at least 40 per cent
proof. If you buy the good stuff, according to Ehrlich, you will
end up with a good martini.
Then you need the correct glasses – ideally the classic inverted
cone on a stem. And you need a garnish – either a bit of lemon
zest or an olive.
Most importantly, he says, chill is everything. In fact, go one
step further and keep your spirits permanently in the freezer.
Ehrlich, originally from New York, is a convivial host. First up
is the vodka martini. His method – and there are countless
variations – is simple. Eight parts of vodka over a good quantity
of ice, one part vermouth, a quick stir and the lot is strained
into glasses, leaving out the ice. Before we take our first sip,
he has us all “cracking” strips of lemon zest over our
glasses. This means that you hold the zest above the glass and attempt
to fold it in two, without looking stupid. This is the best way,
he says, to get the essence of the lemon into our drink.
Finally, we drop the exhausted zest into our glasses and drink.
The result is sublime.
It’s cold, it’s zesty and it’s surprisingly refreshing.
It is also incredibly strong. Given that the vodka is the minimum
40 per cent proof, that is not surprising.
Next up is the real deal – the proper gin-based martini, of
which Ehrlich demonstrates three variations – using different
gins and varying ratios of spirit to vermouth, from a six-to-one
to a 10-to-one blend.
Again we do the lemon trick. Unsurprisingly the overwhelming taste
is well… gin. In the interests of honest journalism, I try
them all.
And, despite the fact that it’s superbly chilled and you can
taste the lemon, I still don’t like gin, which I am forced
to admit when Ehrlich does a quick poll.
To his credit, he takes the rejection well. Ehrlich may be passionate
about his martinis but, thankfully, he’s no drinks fundamentalist.
This is my method, he says, but experiment with it and find out
what suits you.
A final tip from him – treat this potent cocktail with respect.
As Dorothy Parker once wrote, in her typically pithy style: “I
like to have a martini/Two at the very most/After three I’m
under my table/After four, I’m under my host.” |
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Angelino's finest are put to the test
WE came across Angelino Wines, sandwiched between two colourful and
aggressively self-promoting Australian wine sellers, at Islington’s
London Wine Event at the end of October.
Its owner is Farrell Anglin, whose imagination was caught by a lecture
on the history of wine making at Southgate College.
FULL STORY
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