Jazz and Cocktails

Cy Coleman playing for Hugh Hefner and assorted Playmates in Hef’s Chicago penthouse? Nothing but a dry gin martini will do. And a smoking jacket, if you’ve got one.

You’ll need:

4.5 ounces Bombay Sapphire Gin
1/4 teaspoon dry vermouth
Two handfuls of ice
A large cocktail shaker
A nice big chunk of lemon zest

An easier way to measure the vermouth is to just pour a little into the vermouth cap. However you do it, pour it into the martini glass, give it a swirl, then gently flick out into the sink whatever doesn’t stick. Take your lemon zest and rub it lightly around the rim of the glass, inside and out. Give it a gentle twist right inside the glass, then deposit it there.

Put the ice in the shaker, then pour in the gin. Now just shake the bejeebus out of that thing for 30 seconds. I mean, hard. Like it’s an Olympic event. I don’t mean for you to bruise the gin — I want you to send it to the hospital. We’re making martinis the Chicago way.

When you pour it into the glass, your martini should be almost milky white, with ice crystals floating in it. Now take that first sip — quickly! — before the effect goes away. It won’t last long, I promise. Ideally, neither will your martini.

Here’s the one I just made.

Cheers.