Recipe

• 6 parts gin

• 1 part dry vermouth

Shake the gin and vermouth thoroughly with ice, and pour into a martini glass. Put 3 olives (green, in brine) on a cocktail stick, and add.

This is a great excuse to drink, like, a quintuple measure of neat gin and have no one question it. Definitely not one to have if you want to get anything else done that evening.

Watch out for snobs: it seems people insist on having as little vermouth as possible and stirring the ice so as not to chip it. I say the impurities are what makes this drink pleasant: a good measure of vermouth takes the edge off the gin, and a little meltwater makes it lighter and easier to drink.

I especially love the salt that comes off the olives, and they double as a little snack.