Martini books
Stirred, Not Shaken: The Dry Martini, by John Doxat, 1976. The first book published focussing exclusively on the Martini cocktail, a real gem with plenty of information and smart quotes, and a review of the best cocktail bars of the 70s. Link
The Martini: An Illustrated History of an American Classic, by Barnaby Conrad III, 1995. A great and complete book on the Martini, with beautiful pictures, receipts and many anedoctes. Link
Shaken not Stirred, by Anastasia Miller and Jaren M. Brown, 1997. The authors revise their lists of classic Martini recipes and update their roster of modern Martinis, and provide never-before-published discoveries in their history of the cocktail in both America and Europe. Link
The Martini Companion, by Gary Regan, 1997. One of the best and most complete books on Martinis in terms of history of the cocktail, instructions on how to make Martinis, with reviews of Gin, Vodka and Vermouth brands that are on the market today, and over 50 martini recipes. Link
Martini Straight up, by Lowell Edmunds, 2003. This is probably the most famous book about the Martini, with an academically accurate and enjoyable account of the history, the culture and the mystic of the king of drinks. Link
Shaken and Stirred: Through the Martini Glass and Other Drinking Adventures, by William L. Hamilton, 2004. Plenty of personal stories of bartenders, entertainers, chefs, and fellow imbibers, in a collection of unpublished essays on the Martini culture of our times by a New York Times columnist . Link
The Martini cocktail, by Robert Simonson, 2019. Covering the drink’s complex history as well as 50 recipes, including the first published martini recipe from 1888, classic variations, and modern takes from top bartenders that are sure to shake (or should we say stir) up your cocktail hour routine.
Check out also the The Little Black Book of Martinis: The Essential Guide to the King of Cocktails, By Nannette Stone, 2004 (Link) and The Martini Deck: 50 Straight-Up Fabulous Recipes, by Mittie Hellmich, 2007 (Link).
Other great books on cocktails, such as Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis, 1983 (Link), The hour, by Bernard DeVoto (link) and Imbibe, by David Wondrich (Link) speak extensively of the Martini.
Martini articles
American Standard Safety Code and Requirements for Dry Martinis (1966). Approved by the American Standards Association: “The need for an American Standard Dry Martini has been widely recognised by many sectors of the manifacturing, distributing and consuming public since the martini cocktail’s appearance”. Link
Martini Cocktail, by Peter Tamony, 1967. An old article from “Western Words” discussing the origin theories of the Martini from a historical viewpoint. Link
Shaken, not stirred: bioanalytical study of the antioxidant activities of martinis, by Trevithick et al., 1999. Famous article where the difference between shaking and stirring is discussed from a purely scientific point of view, with an ironic twist. Genial. Link to the original article, to an article commenting the research results, and to another.
The Coming of the Martini: An Annotated Timeline by David Wondrich, 2018. The most complete and sensible article on the origins and history of the Martini I was able to found. Link
There Is Something About A Martini, by Max Rudin, 1997. A brilliant history of the martini with plenty of cultural facts. Link
No, Really, It Was Tough: 4 People, 80 Martinis by Eric Asimov. A great report from the New York Times of a contemporary gin and martinis tasting session, with a rating of the used gins. Link
Towards the wet Martini by Fareed Zakaria, 1998. A clever pledge for wet martinis, advocating for the importance of vermouth in the drink. Link
Shaken or Stirred: Which Gets You Drunker? A Scientific Exploration by Brent Rose, 2012. A scientific experiment trying to understand if you get drunker with a stirred or shaken martini (at last). Link
Dry martini symbolism: Why the most classic of the classic cocktails is the least representative by Jeff Pruett, 2013. Some reflections on the martini and 15 famous recipes with original quotes. Link
Books in Italian
- Martini’s yesterday and today, by Ezio Falconi, 2005 (in Italian). Link
- Martini Eden, by Carolina Cutolo, 2014 (in Italian). Link
- In difesa dell’oliva nel martini, by Vito Cassano, 2017 (in Italian). Link
- Il Martini, by Maria Concetta Salemi, 2000 (in Italian). Link
- Prigioniero di una stanza a Venezia, by Arrigo Cipriani, 2009 (in Italian). Link
Want more? See this page, this page and this page (in Italian) for a list of classic Bartenders’ Manuals and guides and for other cocktails reading.
The Martini Hour 