This past week I got into a bit of a dustup with Jack’s Oyster House about the venerable Martini cocktail. They posted a picture of their barman serving up a drink with the caption “Shaken not stirred.” As you all well should know by now, a proper Martini is stirred and not shaken.
After a bit of back and forth over Twitter and Facebook, Jack’s has made a most pleasing announcement:
This Saturday night, December 17, proper Martinis are half-price.
In celebration of this fact I’m going to make a rare Saturday night appearance at a bar, their bar, and I’m hoping that some of you will join me. However, if you are going to be drinking a Martini with me, there are probably a few things you should know.
The drink should be pristine.
That means there should be no junk in the glass. You like olives? Great. Ask for them on the side. They make for an oily drink, which you may like. But I’d ask that just once you try one my way.
You can choose your gin. I’d prefer it if you got a London Dry, but let it not be said that I do not make accommodations for personal preference. The complexity that can come from olives is replaced by the clear and appropriate flavor of orange bitters. I confirmed with Jack’s that they stock them, which is impressive in and of itself. To crown off the drink, I like a twist of lemon peel, spritzed over the glass, and then discarded. If the peel is dropped into the cocktail, the lemon flavor is much too assertive and throws everything else out of balance.
So, I’ll be getting an extra-dry Tanqueray Martini with a dash of orange bitters and a twist. Up with no junk. Stirred. And really I think you should too.
It’s a mouthful. But that, my friends is The Martini. Anything else is some kind of perversion.
My plan is to be there around 8:30 on Saturday night. The doors to the restaurant close at 10:00 o’clock, but I’m told the bar will continue to serve customers. It’s not going to be a long or a wild night for the Profussor. But I do hope you can come out and celebrate this small victory for the most venerable of classic cocktails, at the most venerable of classic Albany restaurants.
And if you can’t make it out on Saturday night, I will tweet it the best I can.
