Ditch The Vermouth For A Smoky Martini Variation

Have you ever held a martini and just felt a little more sophisticated? The sleek glass with a couple of olives peeking out reminds us of when women held their cigarettes in opera-length cigarette holders and men wore suits to the local bar. Gone are those formal days, but long live the martini.

The elegant martini is an excellent choice for an aperitif (before-dinner drink). Clique Bar & Lounge writes that it's one of those drinks that puts you in the mood for socializing and enjoying a delicious meal. It can even tempt your appetite to prepare you to eat.

The typical ingredients in a martini usually consist of gin and dry vermouth or for those who like a little sweetness, gin and sweet vermouth. You can make it dirty with olive juice and then add a couple of olives to the drink as well. Of course, there are many variations to the classic martini, such as the vodka or French martini. One, in particular, is a bit more unusual. It's called the smoky martini and it has a surprising ingredient.

Smoky drinks are kind of a thing these days. There are a few ways to add smoke flavor to a drink, including using a smoker designed for cocktails, or spirits with smoky notes. When you are dining out, you might see a smoked old fashion or rum and smoke on a bar menu. And now, the smoky martini has entered the scene.

For the smoky martini, blended Scotch whisky is used in place of vermouth. Liquor.com explains that the smoky notes of a blended Scotch seem to be made to mingle with the botanical gin in a martini — no special cocktail smoker required. It's said that the smoky martini may have been around longer than we think, thanks to the author, Norman Mailer, who had one of his characters from the 1950s make one in his book, Harlot's Ghost. Either way, replacing vermouth with blended Scotch in your next martini is worth a try.