Faster, Please

Invented a new trick a couple months back, and have been meaning to share it with you here. If you’re a regular reader, you already know my martini recipe. Now it’s better.

During the Dog Days, even a professional martini-sipper like myself sometimes finds that his cocktail gets warm before he’s done drinking it. That’s a crime. I gave the problem some thought (and, to be honest, a drink or two), and realized there’s a reason martini glasses are shaped the way they are — and it has to do with hot, summer weather.

Before you put your martini glass in the freezer to chill, pour about 3/8ths inch of water in it. Due to the shape of the glass, it won’t break as the water freezes and expands, since there’s plenty of space, and no resistance, for the ice to go up.

When the ice is solid, remove the glass and your poison of choice (I prefer Absolut Citron, Three Olives Vodka, or Bombay Sapphire Gin) from the freezer, and pour. Notice, please, that the ice remains firmly anchored to the bottom of the glass. Also notice that your drink stays icy cold, even on the hottest afternoon, all the way down to the last sip.

Sometimes, the ice melts just enough to dislodge and float up shamelessly into your cocktail. This can mean only one thing: You aren’t drinking fast enough.