My book: Lo Zen e l’arte del Cocktail Martini

Big news: my book on the Martini is out!

After more than 20 years of Martini blogging, drinking, reading and talking, I have tried to condense all my Martini knowledge in a book, in Italian for now. I did that not in a traditional way by writing a book with Martini recipes, history, legends and so on, but by approaching the Martini as a Zen practice.

Given the fact that in Italy most people think that the Martini is a glass of Martini&Rossi vermouth, the first part of the book explains what a Martini Cocktail is, and especially investigates the mystique of the drink through its presence in movies, books and pop culture, try to respond to why it has become such a universal symbol of sophisticated drinking.

The second part presents four meditations, to be ideally accompanied by a chilled drink, connecting the Martini to some Zen concepts. The first meditation focuses on impermanence, observing that nothing is more ephemeral than a cocktail, and that of all cocktails nothing is more ephemeral than a Martini, that should be drunk in three sips, in a mono-no-aware fashion. The second meditation tackles simplicity: just as Zen aims to eliminate unnecessary distractions to reach the simplest possible state of mind, the Martini embodies, with his two ingredients and straightforward preparation, the simplest possible drink. Still, just as Zen can help unveiling the full complexity of life, the Martini, being a conceptual drink, conceals endless possibilities – and endless debates. The third meditation concerns mindfulness. We describe the myths of origin and the historical evolution of the Martini, claiming that to fully enjoy a Martini in a Zen way it is necessary to know all about it but also to be able to forget all we know, approaching each Martini as if it were the first and at the same time the last, with a beginner’s mind. We conclude by exploring the notion of pursuit: as bow disciples, Martini drinkers live in constant search for the best Martini in terms of balance and coolness, still they are fully aware that the ultimately perfect Martini does not exist, and that it is the very act of searching that makes life worth savoring.

The last part of the book is dedicated to the ceremony of the Martini. By commenting the rituals of great martinians throughout history, from master bartender Arrigo Cipriani to aficionados like Luis Buñuel or Kingsley Amis, we start with the ritual aspects of preparing a Martini, with the aim of transforming the reader in a mindful and capable Martini alchemist. We then move to the ceremony of ordering a Martini in a bar, the temple of the ritual. We talk about what makes some cocktail bars unique, introducing some of the world’s most famous Martini bars, and about bartenders as ultimate Zen masters. We close with some reflection on drinking a Martini: why we do that, how many Martinis we should indulge in, and what happens, in our body and spirit, when we sip a Martini.

The epilogue explains why, in the present times of Spritz invasion, it is important to follow the Martini path, going back to a way of drinking with awareness, moderation and gratitude. By imbibing the right thing in the right place and moment and ideally with the right company, we can look beyond the sophisticated and somehow conservative aura of the Martini and find its Zen spirit.

If you can read italian, you can get the book here!