The Perfect Martini?

clipped from www.epicurious.com Frivolous fruity versions aside, the most crucial question associated with the Martini is not "Shaken or stirred?" or "Olive or no olive?" It's "Gin or vodka?" Martini Like old lovers, gin and vermouth have chemistry; gin's floral botanicals do a kind of waltz with vermouth's herbaceousness. The marriage between vodka and vermouth, on the other hand, was arranged — a lasting union indirectly incited in the 1950s by shrewd vodka marketers. Vodka is distilled to be virtually tasteless, so vermouth's flavor runs roughshod over it. That's one reason why fans of vodka Martinis often want theirs as dry as can be, more like a vodka straight-up than a mixed drink.