I admit I stole this idea from one of the coolest bars in NYC (the Campbell Apartment, in Grand Central Station): keep the vermouth in an atomizer bottle and keep the glasses as well as the liquor on ice. One spritz for a vodka martini, two for gin. Ketel and Belvedere for me, Grey Goose is a scam. Stoli is fine when the budget won't handle super-premium hootch. Bombay Sapphire when the gin mood strikes, Tanq is fine but kinda bland. I prefer a twist to an olive, bc the saltiness overwhelms the vodka. But olives are worth it just to hear a good looking woman order a dirty martini.
Darn tootin! And has to be good gin where you can taste the sloe - a good martini should be like drinking a christmas tree! Truth, I never enjoyed martinis until I tried them with top tier Gin, where you can really taste the sloe and the piney aftertaste. Once I tried that, I've never gone back. Vodka belongs in screwdrivers, seabreezes, and Russians (I'm still partial to Stoli, having spent over a month in Yalta when the Ruble was worthless - $1/liter was fine by me! ) But for a martini, I vote for Gin.
Actually my favorite way to drink a martini... I don't think a lillet is a vermouth though. Since Kina Lillet's pretty tough to get, I just use whatever Lillet Blanc I can get my hands on.
