A short history of the Martini

The Martini is possibly the most iconic of all cocktails, and it is fitting that its invention is mysterious and mythical.
Many attribute the Martini to an earlier, sweeter cocktail called the Martinez, containing sweet vermouth and Old Tom Gin (2:1) with 2 dashes of maraschino cherry liquid and 1 dash bitters, but even the true origin of this cocktail is readily debated so it does not provide a good point of reference.
Others suggest that the name comes from Martini & Rossi, a trade name for an Italian vermouth.
Another claim that it was invented by Signor Martini di Arma di Taggia, the bartender at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York in 1912 has been discredited.
Regardless of its invention however, the drink first started to enter the social subconscious in the early 1900s with the first listing in a bartenders book The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them in 1907. It was not until the prohibition years though that the drink soared in popularity as gin overtook whiskey as the favoured tipple (gin was quicker to make as whiskey had to be blended).

Traditionally, a Martini is Gin mixed with a lesser quantity of vermouth - the ratios varying considerably over the course of history (largely proceeding from a 'wet' martini - equal parts gin and vermouth - to a 'dry' martini - more gin and only a hint of vermouth). When the health conscious 70s swept the martini from the table, its resurrection in the 80s and 90s brought with it the vodka variation. Mixed in a similar fashion but replacing gin with vodka, this drink is often decried as an abomination by purists who prefer to call it a vodkatini rather than by the martini monicker.