The Traditional Martini: Gin vs Vodka, Dry vs Wet, Shaken vs Stirred

A Martini is a spirit, dry vermouth and a garnish, stirred cold. The spirit is where the argument starts: gin is the original and vodka is the 20th-century challenger, and bars have poured both for seventy years. Here is what each spirit legally is, the official recipe, where the drink came from with the printed dates, what “dry” and “wet” actually mean, what shaking and stirring do to the drink in measured degrees and percentages, how to keep vermouth from ruining it, and how many standard drinks are in the glass. Then the two recipes.

Last verified September 14, 2026. The official recipe is the International Bartenders Association’s Dry Martini; spirit and vermouth definitions are from 27 CFR 5.142, 5.144 and 4.21; history from Difford’s Guide, American Heritage and the original bar manuals; chilling and dilution figures from Cook’s Illustrated’s measured test and Dave Arnold; vermouth storage guidance from Martini and Rossi and Noilly Prat; standard drinks from NIAAA; calories from USDA FoodData Central. Full list at the end.

Gin vs vodka: what each one legally is

Both start as the same thing. Under 27 CFR 5.142, vodka is neutral spirits, distilled at or above 95 percent alcohol (190 proof), which may be treated with up to 2 grams per liter of sugar and 1 gram per liter of citric acid, and bottled at not less than 40 percent. Gin, under 27 CFR 5.144, is spirits made “by original distillation from mash, or by redistillation of distilled spirits, or by mixing neutral spirits, with or over juniper berries and, optionally, with or over other aromatics,” which must derive “its main characteristic flavor from juniper berries,” and also bottled at not less than 40 percent. Gin made only by distillation or redistillation (not by mixing) may be labeled “distilled,” “Dry,” “London” or “Old Tom.” So most gin is vodka that was redistilled with juniper and other botanicals, and that redistillation is the whole difference between the two Martinis.

The practical consequence: a gin Martini puts a second set of botanicals next to the herbs in the vermouth, and it is the drink the recipe was built around. A vodka Martini has one aromatic ingredient, the vermouth, which is why the flavored variations on the IBA list (the Espresso Martini, the French Martini) are built on vodka. Neither is wrong. At the same pour they are the same number of standard drinks.

The official recipe

The IBA’s Dry Martini, one of its Unforgettables: “60 ml Gin, 10 ml Dry Vermouth. Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into chilled martini cocktail glass. Squeeze oil from lemon peel onto the drink, or garnish with a green olives if requested.” That is a 6:1 ratio, stirred, not shaken, with the twist as the default and the olive on request. The IBA lists no Vodka Martini; its vodka-and-“Martini” drinks are the Espresso Martini (50 mL vodka, 30 mL coffee liqueur, 10 mL sugar syrup, one espresso, shaken) and the French Martini (45 mL vodka, 15 mL raspberry liqueur, 15 mL pineapple juice, shaken). The Vesper, which uses both spirits, is 45 mL gin, 15 mL vodka and 7.5 mL Lillet Blanc, shaken, with a lemon zest.

Where the Martini came from

The dates below are the printed ones. Two popular origin stories, a gold miner heading to Martinez, California and a bartender named Martini di Arma di Taggia at New York’s Knickerbocker Hotel in 1911, both postdate recipes that were already in print.

So the “traditional” gin Martini is itself a drier, later edit of a sweeter original. The Martinez was Old Tom gin (a sweetened style) with sweet Italian vermouth; the dry version arrived with French vermouth and Plymouth or London dry gin in the 1890s, and the vermouth kept shrinking through the 20th century until the IBA settled on 6:1.

Dry or wet

“Dry” refers to how little vermouth is in the glass, not to the vermouth itself, which is already the dry kind. The 1904 Dry Martini was equal parts; the IBA’s is 6:1; Hemingway’s was 15:1. “Wet” goes the other way, and a 50/50 Martini, equal parts gin and dry vermouth, is the original ratio come back into fashion. The ratio changes the strength more than people expect, because vermouth is wine at 15 to 18 percent while gin is 40 percent or more.

The vermouth problem

Vermouth is wine. Under 27 CFR 4.21 it is an aperitif wine, “compounded from grape wine containing added brandy or alcohol, flavored with herbs and other natural aromatic flavoring materials,” with a minimum of 15 percent alcohol. Noilly Prat Original Dry is 18 percent; Martini Extra Dry is 15 percent. Like any wine it oxidizes once opened, and both producers say so. Martini and Rossi: “Once opened, it’s crucial to store your vermouth in the fridge,” and it “will keep well for around a month.” Noilly Prat’s guidance, as quoted by Drinkhacker, is the fridge and “about three months.” An open bottle that has sat on a shelf for a year is past both producers’ windows; keeping it in the fridge and replacing it on that schedule is the fix.

Shaken or stirred, with the numbers

Stirring is the standard for drinks made only of spirits and fortified wine, and it is what a bartender will do unless you ask. Cook’s Illustrated measured what happens to a Martini in the mixing glass: after 30 seconds of stirring the drink was at 28 F with about 25 percent of its volume now melted ice; after 90 seconds, 24 F and about 32 percent water. Shaking got it to 20 F in about 20 seconds. Dave Arnold’s general figures are that shaken drinks land at minus 5 to minus 10 C and stirred drinks at minus 0.5 to minus 7 C, that shaking “accomplishes everything it needs to in about 15 seconds,” and that stirring to the same point can take one to two minutes.

So shaking is colder, faster and more diluted, and it aerates the drink and leaves ice shards on the surface, which also clouds a gin Martini. Stirring leaves it clear. Either way the alcohol in the glass is what you poured; dilution lowers the drink’s strength per sip but not the number of standard drinks. The film reference everyone has in mind was, for what it is worth, describing a vodka Martini.

Gin Martini

• 2.5 oz London dry gin
• 0.5 to 0.75 oz dry vermouth
• Optional: 1 dash orange bitters
• Lemon twist or olives

1. Chill a coupe or Martini glass in the freezer.
2. Fill a mixing glass with ice, add the gin, vermouth and bitters, and stir for about 30 seconds.
3. Strain into the chilled glass.
4. Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in, or add one to three olives on a pick.

About 1.8 standard drinks with a 40 percent gin and 0.5 oz of vermouth; 2.1 with a 47 percent gin. About 183 calories with an 80 proof gin (USDA: 64 calories per fl oz for 80 proof spirits, plus about 23 for the vermouth).

Vodka Martini

• 2.5 oz vodka
• 0.5 oz dry vermouth
• Olives or a lemon twist

1. Chill the glass.
2. Stir (or shake) the vodka and vermouth with ice for about 30 seconds.
3. Strain into the glass and garnish.

The same 1.8 standard drinks and roughly the same calories as the gin version; vodka and gin at 80 proof are the same USDA entry.

For a dirty Martini with either spirit, add 0.5 oz of olive brine to the mixing glass. For a Gibson, garnish with a cocktail onion instead of an olive. For the IBA Vesper, shake 45 mL gin, 15 mL vodka and 7.5 mL Lillet Blanc and garnish with lemon zest (about 1.4 standard drinks).

Which gin or vodka

The label terms that matter are defined above. “London dry” and “distilled” gin must be made by distillation or redistillation with the botanicals, not by mixing flavors into neutral spirit, which is why those words on the label tell you something about the method. “Old Tom” is the sweetened style the original Martinez used, and it is the right gin if you want to make the 1887 recipe. Plymouth gin’s protected geographical status lapsed in 2015, so “Plymouth” now names a brand rather than a legal style. For vodka there is nothing on the label to go by beyond the ABV, and a 40 percent vodka and a 40 percent gin make a Martini of the same strength. We go through the two spirits side by side at Gin vs Vodka and compare two vodkas at Belvedere vs Grey Goose.

Frequently asked questions

What is in a classic Martini? Gin and dry vermouth, stirred with ice and strained, with a lemon twist or an olive. The IBA’s official ratio is 60 mL gin to 10 mL vermouth.

Is a Martini gin or vodka? Gin, originally and officially. The vodka Martini has been in print since 1951 and outsold the gin version in the US by the early 1970s, but the IBA does not list it.

What does “dry” mean? Less vermouth. A dry Martini is 5:1 or 6:1; a wet one goes toward equal parts; “extra dry” can be a rinse of vermouth or none at all.

Shaken or stirred? Stirred is the standard for a spirit-and-vermouth drink and keeps it clear. Shaking gets it colder faster (about 20 F in 20 seconds) with more dilution and a cloudy surface.

How strong is a Martini? The IBA spec is 1.45 standard drinks; a 2.5 oz pour with 0.5 oz vermouth is 1.8; with a 47 percent gin it is 2.1.

Does vermouth go bad? It is wine and oxidizes once open. Martini and Rossi says refrigerate and use within about a month; Noilly Prat says about three months.

What is a Martinez? The Martini’s 1880s ancestor: Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino and bitters, first printed in 1884.

Sources

• IBA official cocktails: Dry Martini, Vesper, Espresso Martini, French Martini, checked September 14, 2026
• eCFR: 27 CFR 5.142, Neutral spirits and vodka, 27 CFR 5.144, Gin and 27 CFR 4.21, Class 7, aperitif wine and vermouth, checked September 14, 2026
• Difford’s Guide, Martini history, Marguerite, Martini Extra Dry and Noilly Prat Original Dry, checked September 14, 2026
• Jerry Thomas, Bar-Tender’s Guide, 1887 edition (EUVS scan), Wikipedia, Martinez (Byron 1884) and American Heritage, Max Rudin, There Is Something About a Martini (1997), checked September 14, 2026
• PUNCH, The evolution of the Dry Martini and Plymouth Gin, Marguerite, checked September 14, 2026
• Wikipedia, Vesper (quoting Casino Royale) and Wikipedia, Vodka martini (Goldfinger), checked September 14, 2026
• Martini and Rossi, A guide to vermouth (storage) and Drinkhacker, How long does vermouth last (quoting Noilly Prat), checked September 14, 2026
• Cook’s Illustrated, Shaken vs. stirred (measured Martini test), Dave Arnold, Cooking Issues, Cocktail science part 2 (2010) and PUNCH, Is there a better way to make a Martini, checked September 14, 2026
• NIAAA, What is a standard drink and USDA FoodData Central, distilled spirits 80 proof (174815), checked September 14, 2026

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