Uploaded March 2015 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Learn how to make a Medium Dry Martini (aka a Perfect Martini) worthy of being called a James Bond cocktail. The series, Cocktails and Pussy Galore, shows you how to drink like 007 using the Ian Fleming books (not the movies) as the source, which takes you beyond the typical James Bond Martini.
This is a lesser known cocktail, in general, not just in the Bond repertoire. Before movie Bond created so much confusion in pop culture with the definition of a Martini, there were a couple different Martinis. The Dry Martini (youtu.be/hIMrC9ezHYA), which is the version everyone thought of as a "Martini" before movie Bond helped redefine it as a Kangaroo Kicker (youtu.be/joM2W46SMy0), better known as a "Vodka Martini". But there was also the Medium-Dry Martini, made with Gin, Dry Vermouth and Sweet Vermouth.
Today, the measure of "dryness" is used to specify how little vermouth you would like in a Martini. The term, "dry" used to refer to the fact that you were specifying Dry Vermouth in your drink as opposed to Sweet Vermouth, which for a long time was the only vermouth and was simply referred to as "vermouth." That's why the Dry Martini uses the adjective, "dry."
Whether Ian Fleming meant that it was a Dry Martini with more vermouth or this drink is unclear. When it came to cocktails, Fleming didn't always get it right. So it wouldn't be impossible that he was referring to the "dryness" of the Martini. It is most likely that Fleming meant that this was a Martini with more Dry Vermouth and no Sweet Vermouth given that when he mentioned the Vermouth he didn't speak about them in the plural. But I choose to believe that he meant this drink.
The Medium-Dry Martini, according to the Savoy Cocktail Manual's recipe, is a great and well-balanced drink. It's like a Bronx Cocktail without the Orange Juice or a Martinez with Dry Vermouth instead of Maraschino Liqueur (it's in the same neighborhood anyway).
House of Lords Gin, which was made by Booth's, was originally specified for this drink. Booth's technically still exists, but it the House of Lords line is gone and the company has been sold so many times and it's UK production has stopped so that who knows how close it is to the spirit Bond imbibed. Beefeater on the other hand, is a good London Dry and it was a Bond spirit of choice.
Bond and Leiter specify that this drink be made with a Lemon Twist, but feel free to experiment with an Orange Twist. The Orange brings out the sweeter flavors of the drink. The Lemon emphasizes the flavor profile of the dry vermouth. So, if you like sweeter drinks, the Orange Twist will help sweeten it up for you. Cheers!
Recipe:
1.5 oz Gin
0.75 oz Dry Vermouth
0.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
garnish Lemon Twist (or Orange Twist if preferred)
Stir over ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Bond Brands:
Beefeater Gin
Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
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facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
twitter.com/DistinguishedSp
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Featured in This Episode:
Beefeater Gin
beefeatergin.com/dry
Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
www3.martini.com/us/products#product/martini-extradry
Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
www3.martini.com/us/products#product/martini-rosso
Learn how to make a Medium Dry Martini (aka a Perfect Martini) worthy of being called a James Bond cocktail. The series, Cocktails and Pussy Galore, shows you how to drink like 007 using the Ian Fleming books (not the movies) as the source, which takes you beyond the typical James Bond Martini.
This is a lesser known cocktail, in general, not just in the Bond repertoire. Before movie Bond created so much confusion in pop culture with the definition of a Martini, there were a couple different Martinis. The Dry Martini (youtu.be/hIMrC9ezHYA), which is the version everyone thought of as a "Martini" before movie Bond helped redefine it as a Kangaroo Kicker (youtu.be/joM2W46SMy0), better known as a "Vodka Martini". But there was also the Medium-Dry Martini, made with Gin, Dry Vermouth and Sweet Vermouth.
Today, the measure of "dryness" is used to specify how little vermouth you would like in a Martini. The term, "dry" used to refer to the fact that you were specifying Dry Vermouth in your drink as opposed to Sweet Vermouth, which for a long time was the only vermouth and was simply referred to as "vermouth." That's why the Dry Martini uses the adjective, "dry."
Whether Ian Fleming meant that it was a Dry Martini with more vermouth or this drink is unclear. When it came to cocktails, Fleming didn't always get it right. So it wouldn't be impossible that he was referring to the "dryness" of the Martini. It is most likely that Fleming meant that this was a Martini with more Dry Vermouth and no Sweet Vermouth given that when he mentioned the Vermouth he didn't speak about them in the plural. But I choose to believe that he meant this drink.
The Medium-Dry Martini, according to the Savoy Cocktail Manual's recipe, is a great and well-balanced drink. It's like a Bronx Cocktail without the Orange Juice or a Martinez with Dry Vermouth instead of Maraschino Liqueur (it's in the same neighborhood anyway).
House of Lords Gin, which was made by Booth's, was originally specified for this drink. Booth's technically still exists, but it the House of Lords line is gone and the company has been sold so many times and it's UK production has stopped so that who knows how close it is to the spirit Bond imbibed. Beefeater on the other hand, is a good London Dry and it was a Bond spirit of choice.
Bond and Leiter specify that this drink be made with a Lemon Twist, but feel free to experiment with an Orange Twist. The Orange brings out the sweeter flavors of the drink. The Lemon emphasizes the flavor profile of the dry vermouth. So, if you like sweeter drinks, the Orange Twist will help sweeten it up for you. Cheers!
Recipe:
1.5 oz Gin
0.75 oz Dry Vermouth
0.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
garnish Lemon Twist (or Orange Twist if preferred)
Stir over ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Bond Brands:
Beefeater Gin
Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
Follow Us!
facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
twitter.com/DistinguishedSp
pinterest.com/DistinguishedSp
Featured in This Episode:
Beefeater Gin
beefeatergin.com/dry
Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
www3.martini.com/us/products#product/martini-extradry
Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
www3.martini.com/us/products#product/martini-rosso
