subject: Olives And Martinis - What Is The Link? [print this page] The olive tree is an evergreen tree, likely to grow in the Mediterranean region, Asia and Africa. The extremely healthy olive oil is made from that small fruit. It's often used in salads and certain dishes. But what does it have in common with cocktails and what's the history of olives in martini?
Martini is made by mixing unequal portions of gin and dry vermouth. The ingredients are mixed in a ratio of somewhere between 2:1 and 15:1. The drink is served chilled, garnished with either a green olive or a lemon twist. Nowadays this is one of the most famous cocktails in the world. This cocktail is associated with nightlife and going out with friends. There are many variations such as Dirty Martini, Chocolate Martini, Gibson Martini etc.
In the USA and Canada eggnog is a popular New Year Eve's drink. It's a sweet beverage, consisting of beaten eggs, milk, sugar, cream and sometimes alcohol. The alcohol, used to make eggnog is traditionally brandy, rum or whiskey, but martini lovers invented Eggnog Martini - a new custom for the winter holidays. In Eggnog Martini there are no olives like in the classic one. It is drunk instead of the traditional eggnog and it's made with rum, vodka, eggnog, syrup and cinnamon.
It would be nice if we knew more about the history of olives in martini. In the 1860's, martinis were garnished with a cherry. In later years, barmen started to use olives instead of cherries. The reason why olives are used in cocktails is that they add salt to the drink. It isn't very sure whether that was the reason to replace the cherry, but it's supposed so.
It's interesting how cocktails got their name. It is not known where the word comes from, but there is a actually quite a large number of explanations. One story says that a cock's tail has many colorful feathers - like a cocktail has varied exciting alcoholic drinks mixed together. Long ago, they used to put feathers in the glass, in order to indicate that the drink had alcohol. People liked to drink cocktails in the morning, so that's why they associated them with cocks and though of that name for their drinks.
You can often see or hear about the martini in movies and books.The famous fiction character James Bond likes his Martini "shaken, not stirred". World-famous highly placed officials, among which, Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill, Truman Capote and even the president of U.S- Roosevelt enjoyed drinking Martini.
The true origin of this cocktail is draped in mystery. But what is it about the history of olives in martini? There are not concrete facts and authentic explanations. Even the "inventor" of the drink is unknown, because there are too many people who claim to have created this excellent cocktail first. Their recipes don't have much in common with the recipe that is in existence today. Martini is usually served with an olive, lemon twist or even cocktail onions.
Martini has always been and will continue to be the best choice in the cocktail menu of every bar. The history of olives in martini isn't very clear, but it's clear for sure that they give the cocktail a unique taste. So, go out tonight and have a martini!
