The History of the Martini: From Sweet Martinez to Global Icon

In 1966 the American Standards Association issued a tongue-in-cheek safety code for making a dry martini. This episode explores how a two-ingredient drink of gin and vermouth became the ultimate symbol of sophistication and sparked over a century of debate.

We trace competing origin stories, from the Martini vermouth brand to the Martinez served to ferry travelers in San Francisco, and follow the recipe from Jerry Thomas's sweet 1887 version to the dry martini of the early 1900s. Then we look at how Prohibition bathtub gin trained American palates, the ever-drier ratios of the 20th century, James Bond, and the rise of the tini.

• Why early recipes used sweetened Old Tom gin, maraschino liqueur, and gum syrup
• William Boothby's 1907 Dry Martini Cocktail and the rival Knickerbocker Hotel claim
• How ratios shifted from 2 to 1 toward the 15 to 1 Montgomery
• Dirty, Gibson, perfect, and the freezer-cold direct martini at Dukes Hotel in London
• The Vesper, the real history of shaken not stirred, and how the V-shaped glass became the brand