![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Charles-Dickens.png?resize=235%2C300\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Charles Dickens walks into a bar and orders a martini. Way back at the start of this blog I made a brief comment about Twist vs. Olive in a post entitled, appropriately enough, “Olives or Twist<\/a>“.\u00a0 It was one of my first posts and very short.\u00a0 The time has come to elaborate a bit on this important question.<\/p>\n First of all let me point out that olives or twists are each more more than simply an ‘adornment’, despite the provocative title I’ve chosen above.\u00a0 Either adds a bit of flavor nuance, aesthetic balance, and beauty to the Martini.\u00a0 And in the case of the olive some additional texture.<\/p>\n I’ve previously pointed out that Vermouth turns chilled Gin into a Martini (Does Vermouth Matter?<\/a> ). The twist or olive takes the Martini to the next level of elegance.<\/p>\n Reading through the (limited) literature there appears to be a friendly verbal war on this subject.\u00a0 There are supports on both sides of the argument that adamantly defend their positions.\u00a0 Olives are traditional cry the one side.\u00a0 Twists are more elegant counter the other side.\u00a0 Olives provide a hint of salt that brings out the flavors.\u00a0 Twists add a bright festive color to the Martini.\u00a0 Olives are a delicious and provide a small snack.\u00a0 I have to agree with that last point.<\/p>\n If you haven’t already decided which is for you, try a Martini both ways.\u00a0 Though not at the same time.\u00a0\u00a0 Ultimately the question of a twist or olive is one of personal taste, it’s up to you.<\/p>\n Personally I go with a twist; I prefer an herbal emphasis in my gin and the citrus seems to complement that better than olives.\u00a0 If you prefer a more floral gin (Nolets) I think a twist would also better compliment that profile.<\/p>\n If your preference is a twist, there are several choices yet to be made.\u00a0 Lemon or Lime?\u00a0 Think or wide?\u00a0 Curlicue, spiral, or bit of peel.<\/p>\n Lemon vs lime is also a matter of personal taste.\u00a0 Lemon is traditional but I find the Lime to be just a bit less tart and a bit sweeter.\u00a0 Also Lemons are ubiquitous, there is always a lemon or two at the bar.\u00a0 Limes are more rare, which may be another reason why I like that option when available.<\/p>\n The ‘thin vs wide’ decision is typically not yours, unless you are making your own Martini at home or office. But when you’re ordering at a bar or lounge the barkeep will provide you with his or her standard offering.\u00a0 You can ask for the twist to be created per your specifications and desires of course.\u00a0 And, of course, your results with that request may vary.<\/p>\n The professional mixologist has a number of tools from which to create a twist.\u00a0 First and most common is the knife.\u00a0 But she could also use a vegetable peeler or channel knife, which may also be referred to as a Citrus Stripper.<\/p>\n Personally I like the channel knife.\u00a0 It takes a bit of practice but will (eventually) produce beautiful long clean spirals of thin citrus peel.\u00a0\u00a0 With practice a sharp paring knife will also make nice clean spirals, though not as thin as with the channel knife.\u00a0 If you are making your own twist do try and minimize any pith left after cutting it from the Lemon.<\/p>\n Let’s also take a look at what a twist is not.\u00a0 It is not a wedge.\u00a0 Yes, I have had my Martini served with a wedge of lemon thrown in as a ‘twist’.\u00a0 That is clearly the work of a beer slinger and not a professional barkeep.\u00a0 I did not order a second Martini and left that establishment asap.<\/p>\n Closely related is the “stripped wedge”.\u00a0 This is when the bartender takes a pre-cut wedge from his collection and then rips the lemon meat out of the rind and then puts the remaining triangular piece of rind in the Martini.\u00a0 This is not a proper twist.\u00a0 While it\u00a0 may sort of look like a twist I have two problems with it.\u00a0 First, and most importantly, this stripped wedge will certainly have way too much pith which could add bitterness to the Martini.\u00a0 Second, it’s just lazy.<\/p>\n (You can find additional Martini making annoyances at “Martini Making Pet Peeves<\/a>“.)<\/p>\n If you chooses olives, then the first decision is how many?\u00a0 One, Three, Two?\u00a0 I read somewhere that, at least according to one ‘expert’, three olives is the proper number.\u00a0 Furthermore you never serve a martini with two, or four, as this considered bad luck.<\/p>\n Personally I think that’s nonsense.\u00a0 However, there is something aesthetically pleasing about a martini stem with an odd number of olives; one or three neatly skewered on a mini-scimitar laying alluringly in the Martini stem.\u00a0 If you want more than 3 olives in your Martini, then go for it.\u00a0 It’s almost lunch that way.\u00a0 But serve them on the a side plate so as not to detract from the visual appeal of the Martini.<\/p>\n Another decision regarding olives it what type.\u00a0 The traditional Martini olive is the large green Spanish olive stuffed with pimento.\u00a0 Acceptable olive variations include olive size; large vs. colossal, Spanish vs Greek vs California , stuffed vs un-stuffed, or even un-pitted.<\/p>\n Another acceptable olive would be a pickled onion, which is really just a white olive that masquerades as an onion.\u00a0 Technically that makes your cocktail a Gibson, not a Martini.\u00a0 But I digress.<\/p>\n Unacceptable olive variations include black olives, grey olives, micro-olives (you’ve seen them) and olives stuffed with blue cheese, garlic, jalapeno, Gorgonzola, anchovies, wasabi, chicken gizzards, or anything other than pimento.\u00a0 These are NOT to be used in a Martini.\u00a0 Especially blue cheese!\u00a0 Any cretin who puts blue cheese stuffed olives in a martini should be shot, hung, quartered, and shot again.\u00a0 But hey, that’s just me.<\/p>\n Now if I could find Spanish olives stuffed with caviar, I might go for that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The above Dickens joke, and so many more, can be found on the Martin Jokes<\/a> page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Charles Dickens walks into a bar and orders a martini. The barman says, \u201cOlive or Twist?\u201d Way back at the start of this blog I made a brief comment about Twist vs. Olive in a post entitled, appropriately enough, “Olives … Continue reading
\nThe barman says, \u201cOlive or Twist?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/twist.jpg?resize=156%2C106\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Olive.png?resize=88%2C104\")
<\/p>\n