Wet Martini

Originally, a dry martini was one made with dry vermouth, but over time it came to mean one made with as little vermouth as possible. Its opposite was a wet martini, which brought to the foreground the softening, complicating aromatics of vermouth. Eel Bar in Manhattan blends two kinds of vermouth into its wet martini and stirs them with an equal proportion of London dry gin. Orange bitters stiffen its spine a bit, as does a mist of citrus oil from the peel of an orange. Like a dry martini, this cocktail should be served very, very cold.

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounces London dry gin, preferably Hayman’s
• 0.75 ounce vermouth blanc, such as Comoz
• 0.75 ounce dry vermouth, such as Dolin
• 2 dashes orange bitters, preferably Angostura
• 1 strip orange peel, removed with a vegetable peeler

Steps

1. To make one martini: Fill a shaker with ice and add the gin, both vermouths and the bitters. Stir about 100 revolutions, until very cold.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Hold the orange peel over the glass and give it a quick squeeze, spritzing the oils on the surface of the drink. Toss the peel away and drink the martini. If you’d like, make another.