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My Gin Martini recipe is a classic cocktail that every at-home bartender should know how to make. Made with only two ingredients, but with my tips, it will be top-notch.

a gin martini in a chilled glass with three olives on a spear and bottles in the background - 3

When it comes to date night, my husband and I love to sit at the bars in our favorite restaurants. There is something that makes us feel more like friends sitting right next to each other as we enjoy a cocktail and dinner.

Being an at-home bartender doesn’t have to be intimidating. You don’t even need a lot of fancy equipment; my essentials are a cocktail shaker, a strainer, and a jigger. If you don’t have the budget to buy sets of four high end glasses, hitting up thrift stores and look for used sets of two works great!

And of course, for the best tips on making perfect cocktails, come here . We have so many recipes for classic cocktails and lots of great tips and tricks so they come out perfectly at home.

Today we are making a classic gin martini and I have a few simple pointers that will make it absolutely perfect.

How to Make a Gin Martini

This is a really simple two-ingredient cocktail, but there are a few steps that will help your gin martini recipe turn out perfectly. For the ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  1. Prepare the shaker. Fill a glass mixing glass or the mixing cup of a metal martini shaker (the bottom cup part only) with ice cubes (not crushed ice).
  2. Add cold gin and cold vermouth.
  3. Stir until the mixing glass or metal cup frosts.
  4. Strain the martini into a chilled glass.
straining a gin martini into a martini glass with a bottle of Bombay sapphire on a tray in the background and a metal jigger on the tray - 4

Best Gin For a Martini

Fortunately, you can find gin at multiple different price points and quality levels. Our preference is always Bombay Sapphire , which is also delicious in my Gin and Tonic . While it is often the cheapest of these options, it is what we pick in blind taste tests, hands down.

  • On the high end of price points, you will find Monkey 47 , considered a premium gin.
  • Lower on the price list, you will find Hendrick’s and ​Tanqueray .

As with anything, you should pick what works best for you and what you like the flavor of.

Best Served Cold

The key to a good dry gin martini is to serve it really cold. There are a few things we are going to do to accomplish that, but it starts with storing the gin and dry vermouth in the freezer. Because of the alcohol content in them, they won’t freeze, but they will be perfectly chilled for your martini.

Other ways we make your cocktail cold:

  • Mix the cold ingredients with ice cubes. This will dilute the drink slightly as the ice melts in the glass, but will keep it cold.
  • Serve it in a chilled martini glass. See more on this below.

Chilling Your Martini Glass Quickly

Recently my brother taught me a trick: To keep your coffee hot longer, fill the mug you will drink it out of with hot water while the coffee is brewing. Warming the mug will keep your coffee hotter for longer.

The same principle holds true with a good martini. Filling the martini glass with ice and cold water and letting it sit for a minute while you gather the ingredients and make the cocktail will chill your glass quickly. Toss out the ice and water before straining your martini ingredients into the chilled glass and enjoy a cocktail that stays cooler longer.

Martini Glass

overhead of a gin martini in a glass garnished with three olives on a clear plastic toothpick - 5

Martini Garnishes

Gin martini recipes are usually served with either a green olive or a lemon twist for a garnish.

Traditionally, a lemon twist (or curl of a lemon peel) is run around the rim of the martini glass. Then you squeeze it into the cocktail and drop it in. Serving your gin martini with a twist adds just a pinch of acidity to your gin cocktail.

To make a dirty gin martini, add a splash of olive brine or the juice from a jar of green olive pieces to the recipe. This adds a salty and savory flavor commonly loved in the classic dirty martini with vodka.

Tips and Tricks

  • Don’t use crushed ice. Crushed ice will melt faster and dilute your cocktail. Ice cubes will be easier to strain out of the cocktail when pouring it into your glass.
  • Stir don’t shake . Cocktails that are spirit-forward or made with only liquor are stirred, while drinks that contain more mixers or are more complex are commonly shaken to better combine the ingredients.
  • Switch out gin for vodka. If you don’t enjoy the botanical or piney flavor of gin, make your martini with vodka like in the classic dirty martini .
a gin martini in a frosted martini glass with a tray full of bar tools, a bottle of Bombay saphhire, and a bottle of dry vermouth in the background - 6

Other Great Gin Cocktails

I love a great classic gin cocktail. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • The French 75 is my all-time favorite champagne cocktail.
  • I love turning a traditional Moscow Mule into a Gin Mule .
  • And if you are looking for a lower-calorie cocktail, make my Gin Rickey !

If you make any of my cocktails, leave me a comment and let me know! I love hearing from you!

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Ingredients

  • 2 ounces gin chilled
  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth (1 tablespoon) chilled

Instructions

  • Chill a cocktail glass by filling it with ice and cold water. Set aside.
  • In the metal cup of a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes (not crushed ice).
  • Add the gin and dry vermouth to the shaker and stir.
  • Empty the ice water from the cocktail glass, and strain the cocktail mixture into it.
  • Add a lemon twist or a cocktail olive for garnish.

Recipe Video

a gin martini in a chilled glass with three olives on a spear and bottles in the background - 7

did you make this

Gin Martini

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a gin martini in a chilled glass with three olives on a spear and bottles in the background - 8

Gin Martini

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces gin chilled
  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth (1 tablespoon) chilled

Instructions

  • Chill a cocktail glass by filling it with ice and cold water. Set aside.
  • In the metal cup of a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes (not crushed ice).
  • Add the gin and dry vermouth to the shaker and stir.
  • Empty the ice water from the cocktail glass, and strain the cocktail mixture into it.
  • Add a lemon twist or a cocktail olive for garnish.

Video

Nutrition

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