2 gin
1/2 vodka
1/8 dry vermouth
Shaken. Pour in a martini glass (or two). Garnish with lemon peel or green olives.
This one is all about the Gin and the ice. I like Beefeater gin. Changing the gin brand makes more difference with this drink than any other. Many pros skip the vermouth, but that's usually a mistake. It took a rationalization from my brother explaining to me that gin is a kind of vodka, (or was it that vodka is a kind of gin... I forget) before I started making vodka a regular part of the mix. The brand choice there is less important. Sky vodka is great and local for me.
To get the ice right, make sure you have enough ice in the shaker, and then shake it a bunch. Your hands should get cold holding the shaker. You should see about 1/2 of the area of the top of the martini covered with small ice crystals after you pour. If it's completely covered, it'll be too much water, and if you can't find the crystals you didn't shake it enough. Pour a little to start, and if you don't see much crystal cover, shake it some more. If you let the martini sit in the ice before you pour it, then you'll want much less shaking and many fewer crystals. Like most things, it's about the timing. If it's too strong and too warm too quickly, you need to shake it more; and if it's too cold and watery, shake it less; and if it's warm and watery, then you've let it sit in the ice too long (send it back!).
If you like lemons, peel the sliver of lemon peal before you pour the gin in the shaker -- to avoid the watery warm martini. When I peel the lemon, I cut just the outer part of the peal. If it's still yellow on the light side, I didn't get enough (the peal will fall apart when I twist it), and if I can see the fruit inside the lemon, I've gone too far (the twist won't release as much of the lemon oil). Twist the lemon peal over the glass before you pour and let the lemon oil cover the side of the glass. If you're near-sighted and have a good light and reasonable martini glasses, you'll be able to see the smooth distribution of lemon mist covering the glass. If you like olives, make sure most of the olive juice has poured out of the olive before the olive or olives go in the martini. In California, we get good stuffed olives from a company in Santa Barbara.