Happy World Martini Day, or more specifically National Martini Day in the USA, a day dedicated to the observation of a cocktail that has stood the test of time! Classically, a Martini is made with two parts London Dry Gin stirred cold with one part Vermouth and served straight-up in a cocktail glass. Hemingway had this to say about the old-timey libation: “I’ve never tasted anything so cool and clean…They make me feel civilized,”. Marijuana martinis are easy to make, they taste delicious and they are a great way to get your appetite jump-started before dinner. Celebrate Martini Day this year by indulging in a delicious cannabis-infused version of the classic.
JUNE 19
June the 19th is also Juneteenth, the day has recently been declared a federal holiday in the United States, a day to celebrate the freedom of Black Americans. Juneteenth is commemorated annually on the anniversary of the emancipation of African-Americans, with the abolishment of slavery on June 19, 1865. Happy Freedom Day!
Martini Day
Although the exact origin story of the martini is clouded in mystery, there are a few fables and tall tales about who and where the very first of its kind was served. The first variations of Martini style cocktails are said to date as far back as the early 1860s, however, the first written account was made by Jerry Thomas in the 1887 edition of his: Bartender’s Guide, How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks. A year later the “Martini Cocktail” appeared in Harry Johnson’s Bartender’s Manual, the recipe included “half a wine glass” each of gin and vermouth. As the years went on and pallets developed the ratio of vermouth to gin got smaller and smaller. By 1922 the standard ratio of gin to vermouth in a classic martini was 2:1, except when making a Reverse Martini then the ratio is swopped.
The Three-Martini Lunch became popular during the martini’s heyday in the roaring twenties. Cosmopolitan business people, corporate creatives and prominent politicians would be seated for lunch along the rich and famous to enjoy at least three martinis with their afternoon meal. By the 1970s the 3-Martini Lunch had become a daily ritual for advertising executives on Madison Avenue, seemingly to get the creative juices flowing.
SHAKEN OR STIRRED
Most stoned citizens who are familiar with the Action and Thriller movie genres are aware that James Bond is particular about having his martini shaken, and not stirred! As agent 007’s instruction insinuates the difference lies in the method of preparation. Bond’s preference is prepaid by stirring the cocktail’s ingredients in a beaker with ice blocks. Bartenders the world over each have their own opinion on the “proper” way to make a martini, those who advocate for the stirred variant justify their preference to an atomic level. Apparently, when you stir the ingredients together the atoms are elegantly arranged on top of each other, delivering a cleaner and more luxurious experience to the consumer.
The IBA’s recipe for the Classic Martini, listed amongst The Unforgettables, combines 60ml gin with 10ml dry vermouth in a mixing glass with ice cubes. The ingredients are then stirred together until they are well combined and chilled, strained into a martini glass and garnished with a lemon zest twist. The International Bartenders Association is a non-profit association that determines the recipe, method and standards of globally recognised classic cocktails; like the martini, old fashioned and sidecar cocktails.
Apart from the method used to make a martini, the cocktail could be specifically Dry by decreasing the amount of vermouth or Wet by doing the opposite. Make the martini Dirty by adding a measure of olive brine and garnishing the drink with an olive or two. A Gibson Martini is garnished with a pickled cocktail onion instead.
MARIJUANA MARTINI
A standard classic martini could very easily be transformed into a Marijuana Martini by using cannabis-infused gin or vodka to prepare the dank drink. The infused spirit is easy to make at home; simply steep decarboxylated cannabis in the base spirit until most of the terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids are extracted from the plant material. It is extremely important to decarboxylate, or decarb, the cannabis before attempting to infuse it into alcohol or edibles for that matter. The process activates the effects of the naturally occurring molecules like THC, the psychotropic cannabinoid – which is important if you want to get High!
Cannabis is decarboxylated by placing grounded plant material on an oven tray and “baking” it in the oven at 115 C for at least 45 minutes. The next step is to steep the Baked cannabis in the gin or vodka for at least 48 hours.
