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Douglas Blyde gets to know the Martini at Duke's Hotel

Published:  08 May, 2013

Claire Smith, global ambassador for super-premium Polish vodka brand Belvedere, co-hosted a Martini masterclass at Duke's Hotel with head barman Alessandro Palazzi. Amid oils of shiny horses and brass-buttoned riders, Smith preceded proceedings with: "It's not a hard sell to hang out with Alessandro at Duke's..."

Claire Smith, global ambassador for super-premium Polish vodka brand Belvedere, co-hosted a Martini masterclass at Duke's Hotel with head barman Alessandro Palazzi. Amid oils of shiny horses and brass-buttoned riders, Smith preceded proceedings with: "It's not a hard sell to hang out with Alessandro at Duke's..."

The "mystic Martini" has stood the test of time, she said. "It's a robust drink which has weathered a bartender's customisation - so long as they respect the drink's code." Palazzi agreed: "It's a control test for the barman."

A bartender for 39 years, but nonetheless "too young to have met Mr Fleming", Palazzi said there were too many taboos surrounding the drink when he first entered his profession. "Today, we can experiment with chillies and truffle, for example."

However, Palazzi knows when to draw the line. "Someone asked me for an Apple Pie Martini recently," he recalls. "But just because it's in a triangular glass doesn't a Martini make." Smith agreed. "We need to reclaim that glass and even set up a society for the prevention of cruelty to Martinis!"

For the purpose of the afternoon, Smith advised gin "doesn't exist", despite the fact half the bar's Martinis embrace it. However, if customers were to request a Vesper Martini, which combines both vodka and gin with Lillet, the softly textured Plymouth would be Palazzi's preference.

Smith has grown preoccupied with what she calls the "thermo-dynamics" of the Martini. "Does it matter if you shake or stir? Can you get the drink wrong?" she asked the assembled. "Can it be bruised?" Palazzi thought not. But both agreed taking steps to avoid dilution during the cooling process was vital. "Swimming pool glasses are too big and warm the drink up too fast," said Palazzi, holding up a pariah, large, cut-crystal triangle.

Duke's house style is to pour the spirit, undiluted, from the freezer, "because there's already lots of water outside", joked Palazzi. This leads to what Smith called a "demon of a cocktail", which "must be treated with respect and reverence", because, as Palazzi cautioned, "frozen alcohol can have a delayed reaction on the body".

However, not everyone has approached such a drink with humility. "I remember a top German banker came in with his aristocratic, 80-year-old mother who drank Champagne," said Palazzi. "He had two Martinis in 30 minutes and demanded another, which I refused. When he stood up, I caught him! He then fell straight into a taxi." Hence the fact Duke's limits guests to two Martinis - spaced - in a sitting.

But "shaken" needn't be a particularly dirty word, said Smith. Apparently, the action reduces the drink's temperature to between -7°C and -10°C "in about three seconds", she said. "And never leave ice in a shaker to dilute," advised Palazzi, "although I'm sure many F&B managers would be happy to see customers drinking lots of water." Smith added: "Any colder and it becomes difficult for the vodka to express flavours." By contrast, to cool to the same extent via stirring takes between 90 seconds and two minutes - valuable time for a busy barman.

In either case, it is useful to begin with a very cold glass. As a tip for home Martini makers, Smith mentioned that if you don't have good-quality ice to hand, simply spin off excess water using a salad spinner.

The first Martini saw classic Belvedere shaken and served with an olive. Use of a fine strainer stopped ice crystals marring the surface, although some customers "appreciate" their feel on the tongue, said Smith. This "high-energy Martini" felt light, fresh and crisp, showing delicate vanilla and Brazil nut undertones, fusing well with the tasty salinity of the olive. Glancing at the olive, Palazzi mentioned that when customers request a "Dirty Martini", he recommends using plain olives, muddled with lemon.

According to one writer present, actor Robert de Niro prefers his Martinis shaken for five minutes with muddled cucumber.

Shaking also heightens the perception of Vermouth. Referring to the apparently aerating method of production (more air between molecules). Smith said: "You can't fake a shake."

Palazzi observed resistance towards added Vermouth by a number of his American clientele. "Believe it or not, I was once in a hurry to meet a date. So, out of sight, I left out the Vermouth. But the guest accused me of making his Martini too sweet! So I put exactly the same drink in front of him and he was satisfied." Palazzi and fellow white-jacketed, black-tied team always prepare Martinis in their guests' midst these days. Indeed, part of what the £17-plus service charge cost of a Martini at Duke's is about, is this individual experience.

Palazzi has developed his own Vermouth, harnessing predominantly British ingredients, distilled by Sacred in Highgate. At 18% abv, it is stronger than the majority of those on the market. However, despite "big being seen as bad", Martini Extra Dry "also works with Belvedere", said Smith, although Noilly Prat can be "too herbaceous - perhaps better suited to gin". Palazzi admitted barmen often prefer "wet" Martinis.

Of the spirit crafted from a baker's grade grain, Smith called the unfiltered expression of Belvedere, "the whisky drinker's vodka". Instead of olive, Palazzi carved a twist of unwaxed Amalfi lemon peel. The vodka sluggishly glugged from the dark bottle's long neck. The result felt denser, with a smoother texture and overall, a purer-seeming expression lifted by the citrus aromas and oils. It worked well with a canapé of truffled quail's egg.

Traditionally, Duke's was a bar patronised by politicians, but the queue of civilians, just freed from work and snaking into the courtyard was testament to just how many people, from various walks of life, have become eager to enjoy Palazzi's medicine, and the enduring appeal of the drink.

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