A “Perfect” Martini or Manhattan is, in the mixologist’s lexicon, one whose vermouth quotient is made up of equal parts sweet and dry vermouths. The practice of mixing the vermouths dates back at least to 1901, with the name coming along by the early 1920s. The Perfect Martini fell out of fashion after World War II, but the Perfect Manhattan has retained a small constituency.
See also Manhattan Cocktail; Martini; and vermouth.
“Cocktails, Old and New.” New York Sun, December 18, 1901, 10.
By: David Wondrich