There are plenty of really off the wall martinis going around these days. For some, the only resemblance to a real martini is the glass it is served in. To me, the martini glass simply is the iconic cocktail glass and anything served in it is better for it.

Today's cocktail is a true martini and recipes abound with surprisingly small variation: gin or vodka, vermouth or not.

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Follow up:

The martini cocktail is a truly American invention and consists of either gin or vodka mixed with a smaller portion of vermouth. Outside the USA, ordering a martini will get you a glass of Martini & Rossi vermouth on the rocks - not that there's anything wrong with that either. I have never had any luck instructing bartenders in the Old World on martini preparation and my recommendation when traveling is to order gin by itself and add your own vermouth.

This martini variant is a classic in its own right and can be concocted with either gin or vodka. Most recipes skip the vermouth, but I think vermouth adds a richness and subtlety and shouldn't be omitted. I am of course referring to the smoky martini.

Smoky Martini:

• 3 oz gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1 tsp whisky

Measure the gin and vermouth into your shaker and add a splash of whisky. Shake on ice, strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist. You don't want an olive in this one, trust me!

Since I know you are probably not going to go get a teaspoon to measure the whisky, and "a splash" changes each time you upend that whisky bottle, there is an alternative. Pour a splash of whisky into the martini glass instead of the shaker, swirl to coat the inside and pour off the excess. This also serves to infuse the cocktail with a perfectly accurate amount of whisky each time, avoiding "splash" errors very nicely.