Long time readers may recall, back from the early days that I have a penchant for martinis. I suppose it was from watching too many James Bond flicks as a kid. That being said I distinctly remember the day when I was old enough (and daring enough) to order a martini for the first time. I didn't know the first thing about them, and certainly wasn't savvy enough to know to order a certain brand of vodka or to specify olive preferences, etc. Needless to say, that first martini as a stupid twenty year-old kid tasted absolutely horrible to me. I remember taking one sip and it thinking it tasted worse that the worst medicine I had ever taken in my life.
I avoided martinis for the next ten years.
One day, when I was living in Chicago, I went to dinner with Peter and Bill, two of my closest friends on the planet. There we sat, at the bar waiting for our table in a trendy restaurant in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. My friends ordered vodka martinis, with blue cheese olives. I was fascinated. I ordered one too. I watched the sexy bartender set them up, fill the shaker and shake it frenetically. The exterior of the metal shaker instantly was covered in an icy film... I watched as the opaque liquid flowed into the beautiful martini glass, with tiny slivers of ice floating throughout. It was nothing short of a glass of liquid magic. As I raised the martini glass to my lips, I was mesmerized by the moment. The ambiance, the music, the lighting, the bartender...and then it happened. This chilled magic beverage touched my lips, and tongue, and I swallowed the first sip of a vodka martini in ten years. My tastes had matured over the past decade, and I was ready to appreciate the drink that always seemed to help 007 get the girl.
Ever since that moment martinis have been my cocktail of choice. Once is sufficient...never more than two..three can lead to untold behavior. So when I am in the mood to celebrate, or just jovial, a Grey Goose vodka martini with blue cheese stuffed olives is my beverage of choice. I had some friends stop by to kick off the weekend, so martinis were in order. Only one, for me.
This is one of the many reasons I've thought of you over the last two years. I've developed a strong love of gin martinis. And every time I have one, I think of you. It may not be your martini of choice, but it still make me smile every time.
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