martini

Dry, dirty, shaken — when it comes to tasty martinis, ordering can be a little more complicated than it should be. Before you hit the bars to celebrate National Martini Day (it's today!), get the full scoop on everything you need to become a martini maven.

Here, we're giving you the liquor lowdown on all the different drink versions so that the next time you approach the bartender, you'll sound as seasoned as James Bond or good ol' Karen Walker from Will & Grace.

• Gin or vodka: When you order a martini, you'll usually get a cocktail made with gin and a hint of vermouth — fortified wine flavored with a variety of herbs — in a five-to-one ratio. Expect an olive or a twist of lemon peel as garnish. Many martinis use vodka instead, but make sure to specify with the bartender if that's your preference.
• Dry, wet, or perfect: Ordering it "dry" is asking for a martini with less vermouth than usual. A "wet" martini — you guessed it — comes with more vermouth than the standard ratio. And "perfect"? Well, that just means the drink uses equal amounts of gin and vermouth.
• Shaken or stirred: "Shaken, not stirred" might sound familiar thanks to Mr. Bond. A shaken martini, mixed in a cocktail shaker with ice, usually produces an icier, cloudier, and slightly more diluted drink. A stirred martini chills the cocktail without diluting it quite as much from the ice.
• Dirty: Olive lovers are sure to appreciate a "dirty" martini. This version adds olive juice for an extra briny taste.
• Gibson: A gibson is still a martini; the only difference is that is comes garnished with a pearl onion instead of an olive or peel.
• Vesper: For something a bit different, try a vesper: a martini composed of gin, vodka, Lillet Blanc, and a lemon twist.

Of course, martinis come in flavored versions, like cranberry, too. Now that you have the entire 411, get ready, get set, and sip away!

Most of us like a little something sweet after a good meal, whether it's a decadent dessert, a piece of candy, or a glass of dessert wine. I'm a sucker for creamy, sweet after-dinner drinks, like a white russian or a sip of Adult Chocolate Milk. Lately I've been getting creative with my dessert drinks, starting with this honey roasted martini.

I tore the recipe out of a Grey Goose ad a while back, though I admit I used Skyy Vanilla instead of Grey Goose, since that's what I had on hand (really, who needs two kinds of vanilla vodka in the liquor cabinet?). Though this cocktail is certainly sweet, it also packs a decadent punch reminiscent of almond truffles or nutty coffee. Blend with ice, as the recipe suggests, or just mix in a shaker as I did. Get the recipe.

Although using herbs in cocktails is nothing new — in the Summer, I love incorporating basil into drinks — recently, I've been really into experimenting with rosemary as a flavor enhancer. In this recipe, the woodsy herb adds a hint of earthiness to a vodka-cranberry-based concoction. The original method, which I found on a fun iPhone application, calls for blackberry vodka, but I didn't want to splurge on an entirely new bottle of vodka, so I substituted regular vodka instead. It still tastes delicious: it's potent yet balanced and fruity without being overly sweet. I'm definitely making this recipe again! To give it a try, learn the technique now.

For those friends that are into mixology or just obsessed with Mad Men, don't worry about which new cocktail tool they might need. Instead make them homemade cocktail onions! The mostly hands-off process is pretty easy but does take a little more than a day for the onions to short brine (this ensures a crisp texture).

Once you've tasted these crisp, salty, and sweet cocktail onions it will be hard to go back to the store bought ones. To create more color in the jars, I used a combination of white, yellow, and purple pearl onions. For the perfect edible gift, add a fun label and directions for a delicious Gibson, a classic gin or vodka martini served with cocktail onions rather than olives, to the jar. Ready to pickle your pearl onions? Keep reading.

Now that Thanksgiving is officially behind us, it's time to get in the holiday spirit. There's no better way to do it than with a refreshing and festive homemade cocktail. This cranberry mint martini is potent but easy to sip with a beautifully vibrant hue. It's well-balanced and not too sweet. The ingredient list calls for cranberry vodka, but if you don't have it, regular vodka is a fine substitute. It's the perfect tippler to enjoy after a long day of shopping, so get the recipe.

A well-stocked home bar should have two versions of vermouth, and trust me: you don't want to confuse the two. Dry vermouth, also called French vermouth (pictured), is light in color and often found in similarly shaded cocktails.

Dry vermouth mixes into a classic dry martini, as well as some of my favorite finds, including the Corkscrew and El Presidente cocktails.

Not surprisingly, Italian (aka sweet) vermouth shows up in the classic Italian cocktail the Negroni, as well as the all-American Manhattan. Some drinks use equal parts of dry/white and red/sweet vermouth and are often dubbed "perfect," as in a Perfect Manhattan. Once you've cracked open a bottle of either type of vermouth, it's best stored in the fridge. What are your vermouth cocktails of choice?

Got a burning question? Join the Burning Question group in the YumSugar Community! It's your place to post the most pressing questions about the culinary world.

Source: Flickr User erin.kkr

On Tuesday night I was lucky enough to be among a select group of Nirvino users to attend a special tasting at San Francisco's Fifth Floor. The restaurant recently launched an old-fashioned tableside bar service in which the bartender, spirits extraordinaire and all-around amazing guy Steven Liles, prepares drinks at your table. The 1950s-style wooden cart is stocked with all the necessary tools to create beautiful and delicious cocktails. While at our table, Liles stirred classic gin martinis and chatted about the history of the cart. He's a seasoned pro who can tell when the concoction is ready simply by touch, but for home bartenders, he recommends 20 stirs to the right and 20 stirs to the left. Since my preferred gin for a martini is Plymouth, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the Beefeater one — it was perfectly balanced. To get his recipe for the classic cocktail, read more

Every other year, my family hosts a big holiday party where we invite all our friends over. My sister and I always make Martha Stewart's eggnog. It's thick, frothy, and most importantly, boozy. Since this Christmas is an off year, I'm a little bummed we won't be enjoying the eggnog. That's why I decided to cheer myself up by making an eggnog martini. There's not much difference between an eggnog martini and eggnog; most eggnog recipes serve a large crowd, while the martini serves just one. To save time I used store-bought eggnog. The resulting concoction wasn't as wonderful as the real thing, but it sure hits the spot. It's potent, creamy, and delicious. See the recipe I used and read more