Happy National Martini Day

National Martini Day is June 19th, but around here every Friday at 5 pm is Martini Day.

There are conflicting opinions over what the traditional ingredients of this vintage cocktail should be. We don’t want to start a bar fight here, but we believe that a martini should consist of gin, a splash of vermouth, shaken and served up in a chilled martini glass and garnished with olives.

There is a welcome trend of new artisan gins taking over the shelves that was once dominated by vodka. We prefer a more classic style of gin with balanced flavors that lean toward more traditional ingredients such as juniper berry and citrus with a hint of floral aromas. TheKitchn.com does a nice job explaining the varying styles of gin. Here is a list of some of our favorite small batch artisan gins to try the next time you make a martini:

• Leopold’s
• Blade
• No. 209
• Junipero
• Fords