with Hamish Wooders
Venue Manager, Nick and Nora’s, Melbourne
There is a timeless beauty to the martini. It has survived earthquakes, prohibition, depressions, epidemics and world wars to bring a sense of style and sophistication to cocktail connoisseurs over the decades.
There is no one martini; it actually can be many drinks. At Nick and Nora’s, we have a menu of 38 different martinis. But what unites them all is that they are strong, spirit-based cocktails that help shift the mood and create a true sense of occasion. From the first sip and the hit of alcohol to the heady aroma of the botanicals in the gin and the vermouth in that icy cold mix, the martini is like no other cocktail.
Arguably, the first martini was made at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, where patrons gathered before catching the ferry to Martinez. Bartender Jerry Thomas created a cocktail using Maraschino cherry liqueur, sweet gin and vermouth. Another story features the bartender at Manhattan’s Knickerbocker Hotel, Martini di Arma di Taggia, who mixed dry vermouth with dry gin for J.D. Rockefeller.
While some doubt lingers over both stories, the martini rose in popularity in the US during the 1920s. As authorities clamped down on liquor, one of the strongest, driest cocktails of all time was secretly sipped in speakeasies. Its fame rose with appearances in Hollywood films like The Thin Man, featuring fictional husband and wife, Nick and Nora Charles.
The martini kept its allure through the mid-20th century, appearing in films and sitcoms – sometimes as a joke about a boss who had too many at lunch. But it took a young Scotsman playing a British spy to make it cool again. Sean Connery’s 007 had a licence to kill and a thirst for liquor. His James Bond loved to start the night with a vodka martini, “shaken, not stirred.”
The only problem with early Bond martinis is that shaking with ice dilutes the drink. The perfect martini should be stirred briefly with ice, then served in a chilled glass. This is especially true for a gin martini, where the dissolved oils from the botanicals enhance the mouthfeel.
At Nick and Nora’s, we found freezer-chilled glasses caused condensation. We solved this with a practical yet theatrical method – filling the glass with liquid nitrogen. The fuming glass is taken to the table with the martini in a tumbler; the billowing nitrogen is thrown on the floor and the martini is poured into the icy glass.
Then there are the other martinis. The espresso martini’s story is pure 1980s. An unnamed supermodel asked bartender Dick Bradsell for a drink that would wake her up and get her drunk. Thus, the espresso martini was born.
When making a martini, it’s vital to use quality gin. We use Beefeater as our first pour and Tanqueray as our second, with options from around the world and local gins featuring native botanicals. The same is true for the vermouth, olives (for a dirty martini) or cocktail onions (for a Gibson).
A martini is so simple there’s nowhere to hide. A great one comes down to the bartender’s skill, the ice-cold glass – and knowing that sometimes, less is more.
As seen in autumn 2025
