or, how we changed several wet martinis into dry martinis. If you are a martini purist, please don’t read this. If you do, please don’t judge us harshly.

Initial observation:

Wet martinis made with Seagrams Extra Dry gin from an earlier experiment are unbalanced, and not really enjoyable.

Question:

Can the less-than-exceptional wet martinis be “dried out” to create a more enjoyable beverage?

Expectation:

It is expected that the re-mixed martinis will be better than the wet versions, and will be perfectly suitable to enjoy with a new episode of Doctor Who.

Equipment & Materials:

• 4 wet martinis, divided into pairs made with similar-styled vermouths (2 Italian, 2 French)
• a shaker
• 4-Ounce Measuring Glass
• gin
• ice
• orange bitters (specifically we used: Fee Brothers Gin Barrel-Aged Orange Bitters)
• martini glasses

Procedure:

1. pour the remnants of 2 wet martinis made with Italian vermouth (Martini & Rossi, and Stock in our case) into a measuring glass
2. note that the combined volume is conveniently 3 oz (as these were made at a 2:1 ratio, 2 of those ounces are effectively gin, and 1 ounce is vermouth)
3. pour the combined, Italian vermouth-ed, martini into a shaker that has 4 ice cubes.
4. measure out 4 ounces of gin (the goal is a 6:1 ratio, and we already have 1 effective ounce of vermouth, and 2 ounces of gin)
5. add gin to shaker
6. shake for 30 seconds
7. pour into 2 martini glasses that have been prepared with 4 drops of orange bitters each
8. repeat steps 1-7 with the remains of the French vermouth-ed martinis

Notes:

We did not have 8 ounces of  Seagram’s Extra Dry gin to complete this experiment. Thus, the 4 ounces of gin was composed of 1 ounce of Seagrams, plus 3 ounces of Broker’s Gin (its got a cute plastic bowler hat on top of the bottle). Due to each newly created martini being composed of 2 brands of vermouth and 2 brands of gin, these have been dubbed “Frankentinis”.

Results:

The Broker’s Gin is higher proof than the Seagram’s (94 vs 80), so these frankentinis had more bite than what would have resulted if only Seagram’s had been used. Two of the tasters preferred the French vermouth-ed frankentinis, while one preferred the Italian style. It was noted that the sweetness of the French vermouths (Lillet blanc and Noilly Prat) created a more rounded drink, where it took off the harsh edges (burn) of the gin. The taster who preferred the Italian frankentini, agreed with the rounding aspects of the French vermouths, but thought it was a little too sweet. The lesser sweetness of the Martini & Rossi vermouth, coupled with the not-sweet Stock vermouth, made for an Italian frankentini that was dry, crisp, citrusy, and spicy.

Conclusion:

It is possible to rectify an unbalanced wet martini, and the combination with a new Doctor Who episode was perfectly enjoyable.

Future Questions:

None from this tangent (other than, what is at the heart of the Tardis?).