Put a bottle of gin (or vodka) in the freezer for at least 8 hours.

Rinse your martini glasses under a cold tap and put them in the freezer as well (at least for 30 minutes).

Note: I keep my gin and glasses in the freezer permanently.

When it’s time to pour the drink take a strip of very fresh lemon peel and twist it back and forth over a chilled glass so that the oil bursts out and sprays the inside of the glass with tiny droplets. This is very important for the flavour.

Pour in one measure (or to taste) of vermouth. I often use sweet vermouth, especially for new martini drinkers, which lots of people seem to disagree with online, but I’ve never had any complaints in the real world and I’ve been doing this for a while. Furthermore, you don’t need to use as much sweet vermouth, so you can use even more gin or vodka. That can’t be a bad thing.

Pour in 4-5 measures of gin (or vodka).

Stir with the lemon peel then drop the peel into the glass as a garnish.

Serve with accompanying nibbles such as olives or pistachio nuts.

There are several possible variations of the drink. You could garnish it with olives on a toothpick for example. Please see the rest of the blog for other ideas.