Martini |ma:’ti:ni| Noun 1 a type of vermouth produced in Italy 2 a cocktail made from gin (or any white spirit) and vermouth, typically garnished with an olive or a twist of lemon. Elegance, sophistication, style, debauchery, vice, pleasure, strong. With World Martini Day fast approaching, we were inspired to take a look back at the history of the Martini as well as our own introductions to the world of Bond’s favourite cocktail. We’ve even included our favourite G1 Martini recipe and drinking tips to get you started enjoying one of the best cocktails in the world in style A brief history of a Martini The Martini is universally agreed to originate in the United States, but it’s back story is – like all the great cocktails – disputed. The most popularly story is that a gold miner entered a bar in the town of Martinez, California after finding gold and the bartender replaced whiskey with gin and created the Martinez – a sweet Martini. It was first published as a recipe by O.H. Byron in 1884 and the Dry Martini came much later in 1904 when Frank Newman at the American Bar, Paris created it for Prohibition refugees seeking their fix. ‘Martinis are the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet.’ H.L Mencken The first official recipe appeared in 1884 OH Byron’s Bartender Manual, but the Martini continued to evolve over time. The evolution of Martini in it’s basic form can be seen below.