Another World Martini Day just went by on June 19th! The Martini, as most of us who love their tipple already know, is a cocktail made of gin (or vodka) and vermouth, garnished with an olive or a lemon twist.

The relative proportion determines whether it is ‘dry’ (almost purely gin or vodka) or ‘wet’ (more vermouth). Today, the drink has become a symbol of glamour and sophistication (Dry Martini was a 1928 film made in the Silent Era) and has grown to become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic drinks.

Unlike most other cocktails that have a story attached to it, nobody seems to know the actual creator of this incredible concoction – and no, it was not created by a bartender with Martin as his moniker!

The drink has been given an additional touch of glamour by none other than

James Bond, the fictional spy, who asked for his vodka martinis to be “shaken, not stirred”.  However, some people prefer to have their martinis served “on the rocks”.

A Dirty Martini is a Martini taken with a splash of olive brine or olive juice and is typically garnished with an olive, while a perfect Martini is one that uses equal amounts of sweet and dry vermouth. Over the years, the traditional martini has had a number of variations added to it and other flavours have evolved such as the Cosmopolitan, Chocolatini and Appletini!