The origin of Martini goes deep in history.

Genever is origin from Netherland, is a blended with grain neutral spirit, then infused or further distilled with various herbs and spices, including a healthy amount of juniper. It can be clear, lightly aged, or aged in oak for several years.

It was genever that British soldiers found when fighting alongside the Dutch in the late 1500s – it served both medicinal and recreational functions, and provide the term “Dutch courage,” as it was swigged right before battle. This soon led to the creation of juniper-driven gin.

In America, genever was often used as a rinse or float into cocktails. Increasingly, bartenders were playing with the spirit as a replacement for gin or whisky in cocktails. There is a claim by the genever brands that the Martinez served in the early 1860s in San Francisco precursor of sorts to the Martini, originally incorporated the Dutch malt wine spirit instead of English gin.

A theory links Martini creation to a New Yorker bartender named Martini di Arma di Taggia who served the cocktail in 1910 at the Knickerbocker Hotel. The drink quickly gained popularity especially into the upper-class such as John D. Rockefeller, James Bond, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway and so many others. The American journalist Henry Louis Mencken called the Martini “the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet”.

Looking at some references, Jerry Thomas’s 1862 Bartender’s Guide comes up with  “Fancy Gin Cocktail” calling for a recipe with sugar, bitters, a dash of Curacao and Old Tom gin.

In Harry Johnson’s 1888 New and Improved Bartender’s Manual, he improves Jerry Thomas’s recipes by naming it as a “Martini” and with the addition of vermouth. Also in Theodore Proulx’s 1888 Bartenders Manual, he publishes a “Martini Cocktail” calling for half Old Tom gin and half vermouth.

But was only in Harry Johnson’s 1900 Bartender’s Manual, where he publishes “Bradford à la Martini.

White the ordinary Martini Cocktail was still being modified (between either Angostura, Orange or Peychaud bitters, sugar or not, Curacao or not, Absinthe or not), Bradford à la Martini was a consistent recipe that didn’t change over time.

A few years later, vodka Martini’s gained more popularity to gin during the Prohibition Era (1920-1933) and World War II (1939-1945) because of the lack of conditions to produce.

In resume, Martini is a cocktail containing gin and vermouth (in a ratio somewhere between 1:1 and 15:1), served chilled in a martini glass, garnished with either a green olive or a lemon twist.