Quote Originally Posted by Bullmutt View Post
Martinis were mentioned above, and I have recently become determined to learn to make a good one. So far I haven't done it, but neither has anyone else whose I've had outside of a top notch bar. There was, prior to Katrina, a great bartender in the bar of the Prince Conti Hotel in N.O. who specialized in Martinis. He told me the secret to a great Martini is in using the right kind of ice. He had a bin filled with finely cracked ice, the like of which I've never been able to find. He said to never use ice made in a refridgerator ice maker, so I have been buying bag ice and then using an ice pick or hammer to get smaller pieces, but I still can't seem, using a shaker, to get them cold enough without the ice throwing too much water. Does anyone have some suggestions?
Only thing I can add is that a real martini is made from gin, not vodka.