I’m not afraid to say it. The Martini is a pretentious drink. A lot of pretentious people have been drinking them for a long time. They have very specific ways they want the drink made and they’ve come up with names for each one. That means that you have to figure out which one you’re looking for.

I’m a big believer in just having the tools you need, things can get cluttered fast in the kitchen. But there are some other tools that are pretty useful! Especially as you’re getting into making more complex cocktails or hosting bigger parties.

In practical terms, we use the word “hangover” to describe a series of symptoms. Thirst, nausea, headaches, body aches, dizziness, sensitivity to loud noises and bright lights… If you have one or more of these after a night of drinking, that’s a hangover. It can be light (and solved by a few aspirin) or it can be severe and take hours to recover.

Because Martinis have a lot of options, bartenders will need to know the answer to quite a few questions… Vodka or Gin? Vermouth? Sweet or Dry? Shaken or Stirred? Up or Down? Bitters? Garnishes? It seems like a lot, but don’t worry. We’ll have you sounding like a spy in no time.

Just getting into bartending? Or maybe you just want to have the best house around for throwing a party. Either way, you’ll be looking for a bar kit. My advice? Don’t bother with any pre-made kits. Unless it’s really expensive, the quality is garbage and you have extra tools you will never, ever use. Instead, for less than $50 you can get everything you need and they be the same equipment the restaurants are actually using…

So, you’ve decided you want to know more about martinis... that elusive, complicated, contentious martini.  Maybe you’re new to drinking and you’ve decided you’re going to be a classier kind of booze hound than your plebeian friends with their long islands and vodka red bulls.  Perhaps you’ve just started bartending and realized that hell hath no fury like a martini drinker who didn’t get exactly what they wanted (even though you made it like your bar book said!).  Or maybe you just love spirits and want to know more about this drink people rave about.   No matter what your reason, you’ve opened a whole new can of worms with this one…

Why is “Cures” in quotes? Because there is no cure for the hangover. It’s just a collection of symptoms you get after drinking alcohol. What you can do is help yourself feel better and give your poor body the time and fuel it needs to get better…

If you haven’t drank much before, it can be a little intimidating getting started. Trust me, I had one single drink before I turned 21 and I was totally at sea. You hear a lot of different stories and claims about alcohol before you even get started. People say “I can drink 4 shots and not feel a thing!” or maybe you watch your mom get totally silly after 2 margaritas. It’s hard to know what to expect…