Come along with me as I drink my way through different martinis, and get schooled on why James Bond might have been ordering his martinis wrongly...

The American writer H.L. Mencken once dubbed the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet.” 

Perfection is hard to achieve, but perhaps, its enduring popularity since the recipe was first published in the 1880s backs Mencken's view that the martini comes pretty damn close. 

As if one needs further excuse to drink it, the cocktail even has its own annual celebratory day dedicated towards it: the World Martini Day, held on the third Saturday of June every year! This year, Suntory's Roku Gin and Haku Vodka are commemorating the Martini with month-long celebrations across 11 participating bars in Singapore, whom will each be whipping up their own variations on the classic martini. The full list of participating bars and their cocktails can be found here.

To kick off June's celebrations, the House of Suntory recently organised a Martini Masterclass at VUE, held by Suntory's SEA Brand Ambassador Andrew Pang. During the masterclass, Andrew gave us a beginner's crash course on:

• How to make a martini;
• Why it might be better to order your martinis stirred, NOT shaken;
• The difference between "wet" and "dry" martinis; and
• What exactly makes a dirty martini "dirty"!  

Journey with me under the curtain into an afternoon of martini madness...

So come along with me as I drink my way through different martinis, and get schooled on why James Bond might have been ordering his martinis wrongly...

Lesson #1: What is a Martini?

The classic version of a martini is a mixture of 2 parts gin and 1 part vermouth, stirred into a mixing glass with ice. 

Later on, the use of vodka instead of gin became more common, and nowadays, it's common for martini recipes to call for the use of gin or vodka interchangeably.

Some attribute the popularisation of vodka in martinis to the James Bond movies. The British spy was first seen on the screen ordering a "vodka martini" in Dr. No (1962), no doubt thanks to a well-placed brand sponsorship. 

Here's a general guideline if you're making a martini at home and wondering if you should use gin or vodka. Use gin if you're looking for a more complex, rounded, botanical flavour, and use vodka if you want a smoother, crisper flavour. 

The First Drink Break! I tried VUE's "Red Velvet" Martini, made from Haku Vodka, velvet falernum, homemade hawthorn and hisbiscus syrup, garnished with flower petals. 

Lesson #2: Shaken vs Stirred Martini - Which is Better?

Thanks to Mr Bond, a prevailing misconception, Andrew explains, is that a good martini must be served shaken, not stirred. But in truth, the original martini recipe called for the drink to be stirred. 

The gentler method of stirring has often been preferred because it limits the level of aeration and dilution that occurs when you're mixing the vodka/gin with the ice in the shaker. 

Shaking a martini creates more aeration, and this can turn the liquid cloudy. Dry martinis shine best when they are sparklingly clear, and stirring rather than shaking does the trick!

Plus, there’s also a likelihood that the gin or vodka becomes “bruised” due to the agitation from shaking, and this can transform the spirit and make it taste slightly bitter or metallic as a result.

VUE's Beverage Manager Mikk demonstrates the technique of shaking done right while my poor camera tries and fails to capture his rapid fire motions.

Andrew caveats that this is not to say that you shouldn't drink a martini that is shaken. Shaking simply creates dilution faster, but experienced bartenders are able to work within the smaller margin of error, and still mix the cocktail in a shaker while controlling the degree of dilution. 

Lesson #3: "Wet" vs "Dry" Martini

When someone refers to a martini as "wet" or "dry", they are simply referring to the ratio of vermouth to gin/vodka that is in the drink.  The more vermouth, the "wetter" your martini. 

The standard martini calls for 2 parts gin or vodka with 1 part vermouth, but there really isn't a perfect ratio as its all a matter of personal preference. Wet martini lovers might ask for 1 part gin or vodka with 1 part vermouth, while dry martini lovers would ask for just a splash of vermouth.

Andrew jokes that you can go even further and order a "Churchill martini" named after the notoriously hard drinking UK Prime Minister - perhaps the driest martini that is out there. A Churchill martini, if you're wondering, is just a glass of gin, hold the vermouth. 

The Second Drink Break! VUE's "By the Bay" combines both Roku Gin and Haku vodka with homemade herbal brew, dry vermouth, shaken and topped with white fungus. 

Lesson #4: What Exactly Makes a Dirty Martini Dirty?

A dirty martini is a variation on the normal martini that includes the addition of olive brine. It's dubbed "dirty" because the olive brine makes the otherwise crystal clear martini cloudier. Many people love a dirty martini variation due to its added acidity, increased complexity and slightly savoury accent, Andrew explains.

It is at this moment that the millennial in me recalls watching a video of Dua Lipa ordering a "vodka martini, filthy" on TikTok. I asked Andrew to explain what a filthy martini means. 

It turns out, a filthy martini is basically a dirty martini made even dirtier. In other words, a dirty martini amped up with even more olive brine added. Other types of briny additions can even include pickles and gherkins for the extra adventurous martini drinker. 

The Third Drink Break! VUE's "Gherkin-Tini", a blend of Roku Gin, gherkin, caperitif, shaken and garnished with gherkins.  

Bonus After-Class Activity: Painting Our Own Martini Glasses

After the Martini Masterclass concludes, I am now three cocktails in and in good enough spirits to have developed new unfounded confidence in myself. So when we're told that there is a painting station where participants can paint their own martini glasses, I immediately head over with the full intent of creating the next Mona Lisa. 

We're given a set of food-safe glass paints and showed how to create certain brush strokes. I sought to recreate a pink flower in a nod to the use of sakura leaves in the Roku gin blend.

My final product was not quite an award-winning masterpiece destined for a museum, but it'll make a nice addition to my home bar cart nonetheless. 

My final product, looking slightly more photogenic than it would have otherwise, thanks to the convenient backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands.

If you're keen to try any of the cocktails featured in this article, they will be available at VUE throughout the month of June. In addition, another 10 participating bars across Singapore will also be serving up their own interpretations of the martini cocktail for a limited time only. To see the full list of bars and the cocktails, click here.

Editor's Note: A big thank you to Brand Cellars, Andrew Pang and the team at VUE for a wonderful masterclass! To read our previous interview with Andrew, who shared an inside peek into the life of a Suntory brand ambassador, click here!

@lotusroot518