Images IAN SANTOS

Does James Bond really like his martini shaken, not stirred? Maybe if he prefers his martini cloudy, aerated, and diluted. Traditionalists like their martini, a mix of gin and vermouth in its simplest, truest form, stirred for 45 seconds. 

There are other myths surrounding martini, prompted maybe by its uncertain origins, often attributed to the Martinez cocktail, a mix of Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and bitters, crafted in California for a miner traveling to or from Martinez in California. 

Winston Churchill, for instance, who was believed to like his martini without the vermouth, drank neither martini nor gin. But well, who doesn’t love a good martini? Holly Golightly did, who held it in her gloved hand at a house party in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so did Jackie O and Frank Sinatra. Let’s not forget Sugar Kane, the Marilyn Monroe character, who makes martinis in a hot water bottle aboard a train in Some Like It Hot, mixing comedy with cocktails.

And so when Spritz, the pregame and afterparty hotspot on Toledo corner L.P. Leviste Streets at Salcedo Village in Makati City, sent an invitation to a masterclass on martini, I signed up with enthusiasm, especially as Spritz owner and cocktail master Kyle Ley, who sneaked out of his parents’ company at the Peninsula Lobby and managed to get a cocktail out of The Bar when he was at the ripe old age of 10, was going to conduct it.

In the perfect martini, according to Kyle, simplicity reigns supreme, but it’s a craft that requires mastery, such as, he points out, “in the seamless pour—a single glistening stream, flowing gracefully from vessel to glass, reminiscent of fine wine being decanted.” 

At Spritz, martini, using two distinct types of London dry gin sourced from Italy is an artful creation. “The Spritz martini stands out for its bone-dry precision, meticulously crafted with the freshest vermouth that elevates every sip,” says Kyle. “It’s uniquely aged in amphora to impart a rich complexity and finished with a house-cured olive to give it an artisanal touch.”

More than a drink, the martini is an experience, enhanced by each element, from ingredient selection to presentation. It really is the drink to toast with on any occasion, gender-neutral, simple yet complex, flexible, and easy to drink, perfect for Bette Davis and Queen Elizabeth or Ernest Hemingway and Humphrey Bogart, even the fictional character Homer Simpson, and most certainly for you.

In pop culture, its status is legendary. Its appeal is timeless, associated forever with sophistication, power, and style.

Cheers to the perfect martini!