matt c's other blog

On ocassion, one stumbles across true wisdom. Two weekends ago while vacationing in Savannah, GA, we happened upon a fine establishment there called Jazz'd. They truly made one of the best Martinis that I have ever had. A Tanqueray Ten Martini straight up with a twist of lime served in a huge cocktail glass, for only $8. Probably twice the amount of Gin I am accostomed to in South Carolina Martinis, for the same price. Remember, here in SC we still have the 1.7 oz mini-bottle (until January 1, 2006). So, all your drinks are in multiples of 1.7 oz, and you pay for each bottle. That makes for some expensive drinks. Inland South Carolina also has myriad other county regulated Blue-Laws that are still enforced, but that is a story for another day. Back to Jazz'd in Savannah...On their menu was stated the following (and I paraphrase...) :

A Martini is made with Gin, not Vodka. a 'Martini' made with Vodka is called a Vodka Martini or a Vodka-Tini.

How true.

I cannot begin to understand the Vodka Martini. Especially the Extra Dry Vodka Martini. One takes a completely tasteless spirit (Vodka for those of you not following along), and then refuses to even add Vermouth to it. The tasteless nature of Vodka is the reason for all the silly cocktails that have appeared throughout the years. A Cosmopolitan. Please. An Appletini - gimme a break. Chocolate, vanilla, pear, boysenberry, mandarin oranges, or just fill in the blank with any sassy fruit or candy-ass ingredient. Someone will add these elements to Vodka, shake it all up and serve it in a cocktail glass and proclaim it to be some type of Martini by adding the suffix -tini to the end of the ill-conceived drink's name. Absolute foolishness.
I have had plenty of people (including my wife) tell me that it is ridiculous to get upset about what one calls their drink, but consider this; I do not attempt to pass my Chevy minivan off as a Porsche. Same difference. A rose by any other name...

How to make the perfect Martini for me (WARNING: Purists may flinch):
Note: Not to be confused with a "Perfect Martini" which is Gin with both Sweet and Dry Vermouth

Gin (8 Parts)
Dry Vermouth (1 Part)
Shaken vigorously (or stirred in a proper Martini Pitcher - though I prefer Martinis shaken)
Chilled Cocktail Glass
Twist of Lime (WHAT!!!! No Olive!!! SACRILEGE!!! BLASPHEMY!!! Sorry..That's what I like)

Please do not ruin your Martini with some horrid sub-par gin like Burnetts. Rule of thumb to remember: If it comes in a plastic bottle it is crap. Acceptable Gins are Tanqueray, Tanqueray Ten, Bombay, Bombay Sapphire, Boodles, Booths, and Leyden. Gordons is acceptable simply because of Bogart.
For the Vermouth, try or Martini and Rossi or Cinzano (they are easy to find anywhere) or Noilly Prat (harder to find).
You can substitute an olive or two for the twist of lime, if you like.

You can't go wrong with the above recipe. Give it a try.

By the way...Who started these "Martini and Cigar Nights"? Sorry; cigars just do not go with Martinis (or Vodka-Tinis). Don't get me started...

I sold my 1991 Fender Twin on ebay, and it was broken when the guy received it. He said the UPS guy dropped it 2 or 3 times from the truck to the house. I filed a claim with UPS, and they sent the amp back to me saying "No apparant damage". The entire top of the cabinet is broken off and the left side of the cabinet has seperated from the baffle board. They also said "No packing material was used" when there was actually several inches of bubble blanket around the entire amp. I finally re-submitted the claim, and after 2 weeks of emails and phone calls, UPS said they would honor the claim. I had insured the package for $500, so now I can send the guy his money back.



Evidently they deny each claim at first, and then wait until someone complains before they actually investigate it.

I doubt I'll use UPS again for any large and heavy packages.

Pisser.

Hey.

I'll be posting some non-mudfish jones specific stuff here from time to time.

Don't forget the band webpage at www.mudfishjones.com