= Such Stupid Things =

Sean Carroll has a solid line in this enjoyable Ode to the Martini:

Four-to-one [gin-to-vermouth ratio] is about right, although there is room for variations in taste. But this worthy discovery has devolved into a pointlessly macho competition about whose martini is the driest. Bartenders now regularly splash vermouth into their shakers and then pour it out before adding the gin, leaving behind a helplessly thin coating of the original spirit. The next step is to simply pour chilled gin into your glass while doing a Google image search for 'vermouth.'

Many years ago I saw Bill Murry on a late-night talk show describing his perfect martini: a glass filled with ice cold gin while gently whispering the word "vermouth" onto the rim. Or his alternative, adding a thimbleful of vermouth to a humidifier and letting it run while preparing the cocktail. I probably fall on the side of Dr. Carroll on this one, but I'm always interested in hearing new ways to describe a humorously-small volume of vermouth.