During the peak of the pandemic, millions of people—us included—found comfort in a martini glass. But even more so in an unexpected place: Stanley Tucci’s Instagram profile. A former bartender, Tucci shared negroni, margarita, and martini recipes. When it comes to the last one, Tucci has strong feelings about the many origin stories of the classic cocktail. “Too many people say too many things, and I wish they’d stop,” he says. “The only thing that matters is that the martini exists.”
Here Tucci shares his ideal recipe that can be made into a gin martini or a vodka martini—there’s a time and place for both. Both are extra-dry martinis with just a whiff of vermouth and, of course, are stirred, not shaken. (For the record, James Bond was ordering a weak martini. Shaking a cocktail causes the ice cubes to chip, meaning they will melt and dilute the drink). It’s “the quintessence of elegance that we all aspire to and believe we acquire when we drink one,” Tucci adds. Finish it with lemon peel or green olives.
London dry gin is the classic spirit used here, but feel free to play around with other styles if you like. For a dirty martini, add olive brine to the base before stirring and follow bar expert Al Culliton’s advice: “You can start with a few drops, but most lovers of this version would start at about a ½ teaspoon brine and work up. Call me conservative, but I like to cap it at ¼ oz.” You don’t want to distract entirely from the other flavors here.
For more classic cocktail recipes like a manhattan, old-fashioned, and sidecar, check out our collection.
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What you’ll need
Cocktail Mixing Glass
$40 $18 At Amazon
Cocktail Jigger
$6 At Amazon
Bar Spoon
$15 At Amazon
Hawthorne Strainer
$7 At Amazon
Vegetable Peeler
$12 $10 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
5 minutes
Yield
Makes 1
Ingredients
½
2–3
Preparation
Fill a glass beaker or cocktail shaker with ice and pour in ½ oz. dry vermouth. Stir 15 seconds, then let sit 30 seconds. Stir again, then strain out and discard vermouth. Pour 2–3 oz. high-quality gin or vodka into beaker and stir 30 seconds. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir again 30 seconds. Let sit another 30 seconds, then stir again quickly. Strain cocktail into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or olives. Drink it. Become a new person.
Editor's note: This recipe was first printed in our November 2021 issue. Head this way for more of our best gin cocktails or over here for our best vodka drinks→
Leave a Review
Reviews (132)
Back to TopI'm sorry but this is not a martini. It's just cold gin. You have to have some vermouth in there to provide the herbal flavors that complement the botanicals in the gin. My preferred ratio is 4 oz of gin to 1 oz of vermouth. Note that this also makes a rather strong martini. But that's the point. In the opening of Goldfinger (the book) Bond has 2 double martinis in 10 minutes!
Anonymous
7/6/2023
Perfect !
Anonymous
6/28/2023
I’m a martini person and I always felt like there was something missing in my shaken martinis. I also assumed more vermouth was better since I do like it on its own. You proved me wrong Mr. Tucci
Cody
Abilene Texas
6/23/2022
The classic in our household: 3 ozs Bombay Sapphire Gin, 1/2 ozs Noilly Prat, couple of Castelvetrano olives. Nicely chilled. Some guests request vodka...but not the same. I agree that Noilly Prat, while good, has changed, and not for the better. Looking for a replacement
Steve Paul
5/21/2022
One of my favorite things about the martini is the endless discourse around its origins, its base spirit, and its recipe. Naturally, mine is correct and all others, including and especially Mr. Tucci's, need not apply. First things first: vodka in a martini is an absolute abomination. Ingredients: 2.5 oz Plymouth Gin, 0.5 oz Lo-Fi Aperitifs Dry Vermouth, castlevetrano olives. Preparation: fill mixing glass at least half way with ice, add liquid ingredients, stir to mix for 30 seconds, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, add olive on toothpick, enjoy in a spirit of superiority directed to all other (lesser) martinis.
Patrick
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2022
One of my favorite things about the martini is the endless discourse around its origins, its base spirit, and its recipe. Naturally, mine is correct and all others, including and especially Mr. Tucci's, need not apply. First things first: vodka in a martini is an absolute abomination. Ingredients: 2.5 oz Plymouth Gin, 0.5 oz Lo-Fi Aperitifs Dry Vermouth, castlevetrano olives. Preparation: fill mixing glass at least half way with ice, add liquid ingredients, stir to mix for 30 seconds, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, add olive on toothpick, enjoy in a spirit of superiority directed to all other (lesser) martinis.
Patrick
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2022
I love the humor and in his book as well. And, I love martinis. Bombay Safire gin or, better yet, Kirkland gin (which is very good in it’s balance of botanicals). But the vermouth is key: Dolin Blanco vermouth (1/4 to 1/2 oz.) and 3 oz. gin. 100 stirs and let stand 15 seconds. Into a chilled martini glass with 2 Castelvetrano olives. Ahhhh.
Tom B
Vermont
2/28/2022