好莱坞著名制片人Luis Bunel在他的自传《我的最后叹息》中曾这样写到：“如果你想在酒吧里沉迷于幻想的天堂，就来一杯金马提尼吧”。相信大家对马提尼都不陌生，可是马提尼有着怎样的传奇之谜，又是如何调制而成的呢？我们一起来看看吧！

By Nate Chinen

卓言 选 岳晓玲 译 

A chilled, crystal glass, the purest gin, a touch of dry vermouth, and a plump, green olive—the martini was and still is more than just a cocktail. Originally mixed in the nineteenth century, it became an American icon in the twentieth. Bernard De Voto called the martini “the supreme American gift to world culture,” while H. L. Mencken declared it “the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet.”

冰凉晶莹的水晶杯，纯正馥郁的杜松子酒，外加少许干苦艾酒和一枚多汁的绿橄榄，无论过去，还是现在，马提尼都不仅仅是一种鸡尾酒。始于19世纪，20世纪时已成为美国的象征，伯纳德•德沃托称，马提尼是“美国献给世界文化最崇高的礼物”，而门肯则将马提尼誉为“唯一能和十四行诗相媲美的美国发明”。

One of the oldest legends surrounding the mystery of the birth Martini cocktail takes us back to the late 19th century, at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, when a traveler on his way to Martinez (California), asked the Hotel’s barman to prepare something special, unaware that this barman was the legendary Professor Jerry Thomas, famous for his innovative cocktails. In 1872 the recipe for Martinez manual for bartenders was published which saw him recognized as one of the leading authorities in his field. Another hypothesis would return to ltaly, in Liguria, where the name of Martini is still widely diffused. In all probability, the Martini cocktail has no single inventor like in the case of many a masterpiece.

有关马提尼诞生之谜的一个最古老传说是这样的：19世纪晚期，一位旅者在赴加利福尼亚马丁内斯的途中，来到旧金山的西方酒店，要求调酒师为他准备一款特别的饮品。岂料这位调酒师竞是当时的传奇人物杰里•托马斯教授，因精于调制各种新颖别致的鸡尾酒而闻名。1872年，他为调酒师编写的马丁内斯调制手册出版，由此而被公认为业内权威之作。另一个传说则发生在意大利的利古里亚，马提尼的名字在那里至今仍家喻户晓。不过，如同很多杰作一样，马提尼的发明者很可能并非一人。

The one undisputable fact is that Martini has long been associated with important events and people, not the least of whom being John D. Rockerfeller who, from the age of 71 never renounced his Martini cocktail until his last days at 98. The modem American Style Martini a squirt of Vermouth to a shot of gin—was invented at Harry’s bar in Venice to satisfy Ernest Hemingway, one of the most famous and regular client.

不过，有一个事实无可争议，那就是，一直以来马提尼都与一些重要事件或人物联系在一起，其中就包括与小约翰•D·洛克菲勒的渊源。从71岁开始，小约翰就没有一天离开过他心爱的马提尼，数十年不曾偏废，直到98岁去世。现代美国版马提尼由杜松子和苦艾酒混调而成，该调法源于威尼斯的哈里酒吧，献于海明威，因为他是这家酒吧最著名的常客之一。

Original recipes for a martini called for a 2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, but that proved to be too unpopular with drinkers who preferred the astringent and sharp taste of gin to the sweetness of a wine-based product like Italian vermouth. Refinements to the recipe led to at least a 5:1 ratio, all the way to a 15:1 ratio for some dry martini enthusiasts.

在最初的马提尼酒调制法中，杜松子与苦艾的比例为2:1，然而，这样的马提尼在当时却并不为人所青睐，有些饮者偏爱杜松子酒浓郁的涩味，对以诸如意大利苦艾为基础调制成的甜味马提尼并不感冒。于是，调酒师改进了马提尼的调法，将杜松子酒与苦艾酒的比例调整为5:1或更高，而对于那些热衷于干马提尼的饮者，杜松子与苦艾的比例更是高达15:1。

A traditional gin martini is either stirred with a splash of vermouth or shaken with vermouth and ice in a special beverage shaker. The bartender strains out the ice and pours the chilled gin and vermouth into a distinctively conical martini glass. At this point, an olive or twist of lemon peel may be added for additional flavor.

传统的杜松子马提尼的制法是，将杜松子与苦艾搅拌或是将苦艾倒入加冰的特制摇酒壶中摇晃，而后取出冰块，将冰凉的杜松子和苦艾倒入一个特制的圆锥形酒杯中，最后加入一枚橄榄或是柠檬皮作为装饰，如此别有一番风味。

Because straight gin can be a bit harsh for new drinkers to handle, vodka is often used as a substitute for popular flavored martini cocktails, such as apple or chocolate. The use of vermouth has also diminished to the point where a bartender may literally pour a drop of vermouth into a martini glass, swirl it around to coat the sides, and then pour it out completely before adding the actual gin or vodka blend.

对于初品酒味的人而言，纯杜松子酒的味道可能略嫌过辣，难以受用。因此，调酒师经常会用伏特加取代杜松子酒调制各种大众口味的马提尼，如苹果味或巧克力味。苦艾酒的用量也大为减少，调酒师甚至会真的只把一滴苦艾先行倒入马提尼杯中摇晃，让苦艾的气息附着在杯壁上，再把杯中剩余的苦艾全部倒掉，最后才加入纯正的杜松子酒或伏特加。

The flavored gin or vodka-based cocktails may be popular with a younger clientele, but there is still a substantial demand for the gin martini, a classic cocktail which literally defines the concept of a properly mixed drink.

以杜松子或伏特加为基酒调制的不同口味的鸡尾酒在较年轻的饮者中间倍受青睐，不过杜松子马提尼却也相当畅销。杜松子马提尼是一种经典鸡尾酒，它创造了真正意义上混合饮品的理念。

Martini Terminology

You most likely have heard martinis as being dry, extra dry, wet or even burnt. If you aren’t really sure about what it all means, then this would really help:

Wet—This refers to a sweeter martini which really means more vermouth. This disguises the intensity of whatever alcohol is the major player! A wet martini is much easier to drink.

Dry—This is your typical martini where little vermouth resides in the cocktail. A stronger punch!

Extra Dry—This is for the real players where no vermouth should be found in the mix. Essentially we have a straight drink here chilled and served with a tasty garnish.

Burnt—Now this is serious game for classic martini lovers. This is to be absolutely sure that this cocktail is really dry. A small amount of scotch is put into the glass and swirled so that it remains on the glass. The excess is poured out and the chilled cocktail is then poured into the scotch drenched glass. Ouch that’s good!

Vocabulary

gin 杜松子酒，一种黑麦制成的蒸馏酒，有杜松子果的香味

dry vermouth 干苦艾酒

Bernard De Voto 伯纳德•德沃托（1897—1955），美国作家，曾任《哈泼斯杂志》专栏编辑，《星期六文学评论》编辑，著作有《马克•吐温的美国》等

H. L. Mencken 门肯（1880—1956），美国评论家，新闻记者，长期在《巴尔的摩太阳报》工作

diffuse 扩散，传播

renounced 声明放弃

squirt 喷出的液体， 喷射

astringent 味涩的

conical 圆锥形的

disguise 隐藏，隐瞒

reside in 存在

punch 〈口〉活力，效力

straight 〈美〉不掺杂的，纯粹的

garnish （为添加色香味而添配的）装饰菜

scotch 苏格兰威士忌

drenched 湿透的

（来源：英语学习杂志）