Become A Party Star With The Classic Martini

CELEBRATIONS | by SHERRY STRIPLING

MY STANDING JOKE WHEN I MAKE MARTINIS is that my secret is precise measurement. As I say this, I dump half the bottle of gin into the shaker. That always draws a laugh ― a big laugh, too, because when I make martinis, crowds gather.

© ANGIE NORWOOD BROWNE

I was not voted Miss Popularity in school. It used to be when I’d start to tell a story, my listener’s eyes drifted across the room.

No more! Now that I’ve mastered the Art of the Martini, parties don’t begin until I get there.

To toast 2010, here are the secrets to my success, almost all courtesy of Oliver’s Lounge at the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle, where for once I was head of the class.

• I make only “The Classic.” No vodka. No flavor. Just a nice gin such as Bombay Sapphire or Tangueray ($22 to $27).
• I keep my gin in the freezer.
• I chill the glasses.
• I use only slivers of ice, usually arriving at my host’s kitchen with a hammer.
• I pre-soak Italian olives in vermouth.
• I pour an ounce or two of vermouth into the empty shaker, swirl it around and pour it all out.
• I never forget presentation, usually wearing my martini apron, my martini earrings and sometimes my martini pajamas (all gifts).
• I put the ice in the shaker, ceremoniously pour in the gin, and shake ‘til the frosted metal is too cold to touch.

I used to think martinis were for my parents’ generation. Indeed, my biggest fans are over 80. One summer we took a friend in her 90s camping. At 5 every afternoon, she’d put down her book, point her cane toward the cooler and shout, “Where’s Sherry!?!”

Miss Popularity, at last.