Martinez And Martini Poem by gershon hepner

Martinez that begat Martini
must be made from Old Tom gin
and sweet vermouth. Stirred, the genie
will emerge. Say chin chin,
and stir them to create a vortex,
adding orange peel as garnish.
It will cool the frontal cortex,
but your reputation tarnish
if you shake it as you should
Martinis, where the gin is dry
and the vermouth. Like womanhood,
shake it to identify
the subtle favors. In a word,
Martinez sweetly can awaken
brain pleasure centers that, when stirred,
are martinized when drinks are shaken.

Inspired by an article on the Martini’s lost ancestor, the Martinez, by Eric Felten, in the WSJ, January 15,2008. He points out that in the 1880’s the Manhattan, whiskey and sweet vermouth, begat the Martinez, made of Old Tom gin, Italian vermouth and bitters, with a taste of maraschino. In 1897, at the Waldorf-Astoria the most popular drink was the Martini, made up of equal parts of French vermouth and Plymouth gin, with a dash of orange bitters. The heavy viscosity of Old Tom gin requires that the Martinez be stirred, not shaken, and garnished with orange peel. Felten states that the drink is worthy of being restored to the canon of classic cocktails.

Re martinize, note the following:
to martinize, v. Means to change or pervert the meaning of a word by altering it to mean something else. Examples of words that have been martinized are: gay, firmament, and most recently, marriage.

12/15/08