“I like to have a Martini, two at the very most… After three I’m under the table, after four, I’m under my host.”

– Dorothy Parker, American poet & writer

Oh, the martini. It has such a mysterious, sexy nature about it, wouldn’t you say?

Something about sipping on one makes me feel a bit old-fashioned with a twist of sophistication. Somewhat regal, if you will.

As a matter of fact, my desire for a martini came to me while reading Finding Freedom. Apparently, it’s the cocktail of choice for the former Duchess, Meghan Markle, and being the admirer I am of her’s I thought to myself…

could I be a martini drinker?

This thought set out on a mini-quest to learn more about this drink before diving in.

What is about this simple cocktail that gives it the reputation that it does?

So I did some digging….

As boozy legend has it, the martini was created sometime in the late 1800s possibly in Martinez, California. Hence it’s name.

A true martini is crafted with gin, but some folks prefer gin’s ugly stepsister, vodka.

There seems to be some debate on whether a proper martini is to be shaken or stirred. Many insist on the former protocol as the way to craft a perfect martini.

Spoiler alert: I stir.

A dirty martini, my preference, is garnished with three olives. To eat them or to not eat them – that is the question.

I eat them near the end as to savor each last sip.

A Gibson Martini is garnished with a cocktail onion. And the most traditional of martinis is garnished with a lemon twist.

True martini enthusiasts do not believe anything with the ending “tini” constitutes it as actually being one. In fact, drinks like the appletini and chocolate martini bastardize the martini. In other words, they shouldn’t even be put within the same family of cocktails.

The more I learn about the martini, the sexier it gets. Consider for a moment the glass in which one is served. It’s sleek, has the waist of an old-Hollywood starlet ,and the broad shoulders of her leading man.

I have discovered that there isn’t much I do not like about a dirty martini. Well, except for when I finish it because then I know I have had my one. One and done, people.

Martinis make me feel cozy on the inside. Just like a good drink should.

After several attempts and a few different types of gin – I have perfected my homemade dirty martini.

Using a London dry gin (I love Koval! They’re a local distillery here in Chicago. ), Italian dry vermouth (I got mine from Trader Joe’s for $9.99), and manzanilla olive juice – with the right combination, I am one happy martini drinker.

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