Martinis have been around since the 19th century, somehow managing to become more sophisticated as each decade passes. This year, it feels as if they’re more in vogue than ever, from the social media trend of three-martini lunches – which originated at American business lunches in the mid-20th century – to bars launching martini flights and reviving the martini trolley. It seems a classic has been reborn, not just online, but around Ireland too. Made with just gin (or vodka, if you prefer) and vermouth, with a couple of olives or perhaps a twist of lemon, the martini cocktail is simple in theory but requires a keen hand to master. Its origins are debated, but it’s widely thought that it was born in the late 1800s in San Francisco as an evolution from the martinez cocktail – made with gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino, and bitters – which in turn descended from the Manhattan cocktail, which uses whiskey. Ariel Sanecki is a man who knows his martinis. And as resort drinks director for the O’Donoghue Ring Collection, the Kerry group of hotels, bars and restaurants, he has mixed with the international masters.“I met Peter Dorelli, a famous Italian bartender who worked at The Savoy in London for decades, at the World Cocktail Competition about 10 years ago and we talked lots about cocktails and how cocktail culture has changed,” says Sanecki. “He told me that as cocktails spread through Europe, bartenders changed the recipes because they started to have better access to better ingredients and more tools. We can’t forget that when cocktails were made hundreds of years ago, alcohol was very bad. Now we have the best of the best, so you don’t really have to add anything else to a martini, and maybe that’s why they’re made the way they are now.” Ariel Sanecki, resort drinks director for the O’Donoghue Ring Collection in Co Kerry. Based across bars such as Pig’s Lane and Café du Parc in Killarney – the latter of which has just launched a new martini offering – Sanecki says martinis have been steadily popular, but mostly with American tourists visiting the area. Overall, he’s surprised to see how trendy the drink has become, but believes that part of this could be in its relative simplicity in calorie terms – it contains alcohol alone, with no sugary syrups or fizzy energy drinks involved.“Over the last 20 years or so, we’ve seen people start to go out for a more considered drink, rather than things like lots of pints. So it makes sense that people on social media have started talking about three martinis, because it’s reflective of how we drink differently now,” says Anna Snook O’Carroll, co-founder of Valentia Island Vermouth, which has just launched in bars in the US. “There’s a bar in Manhattan called Dante that sells 1,000 martinis a night. That amount of martinis would be bonkers for us in Ireland, but it shows the popularity. And when something becomes popular in New York, then it comes to London, then to us here in Ireland. “We have such great producers here, which means we’re used to eating and drinking well, so it makes sense that the drinks scene in Ireland is thriving and that we’re drinking much better drinks, like well-made martinis.” Anna and Orla Snook O’Carroll of Valentia Island Vermouth. Photograph: Joleen Cronin Marguerite martini with Valentia Island Vermouth, Bertha’s Revenge Navy Strength Gin, Beara Bitters and Orange Peel. Photograph: Joleen Cronin Valentia Island Vermouth’s sales have felt the benefit of the trend, says Snook O’Carroll, recalling that the uptick began during the pandemic when people got interested in upgrading their home bar with Irish products and making more cocktails. Within these parameters, the martini was seen, rightly or wrongly, as an easy drink to make. As for how to make a perfect martini, well it’s really up to the individual, but the experts have some tips. “You can tell an awful lot about the quality of the bar by the all the spirits lined up behind the bar. If you see good Irish artisan producers there or some really top-shelf stuff, you know you’re going to get a good drink,” says Snook O’Carroll.“You also want to look out for martini menus, with options for dry and wet offerings [depending on the proportion of vermouth to vodka or gin], that have the producers listed. That shows drinks have been curated before they’ve even hit the glass. “If you’re at home, use as many Irish ingredients as you can – I love Kalak Irish Vodka, or Muff Liquor Company Gin – stir the bejaysus out of them in a jug filled with ice, then strain into glasses straight from the freezer, and you’ll have a perfect at-home martini.” Sanecki agrees that good quality ingredients will be the most important contributor to a decent martini. “Especially good quality vermouth,” he says. “The shelf-life when it’s opened is only around a month, so keep it in the fridge and don’t keep it forever. Make sure to get rid of any water that’s in your chilled glasses – you don’t want any excess, because you’ll be diluting the alcohol when you stir it in the ice anyway. Also, don’t store your alcohol in the freezer, because you’ll lose all the flavour that way.” [ Uair an cocktail: how to stock your home drinks cabinet with only Irish ingredientsOpens in new window ]In reality, anyone can make a martini, but it takes time to master a perfect one. From temperature to the question of whether it should be shaken or stirred, it’s endlessly customisable beyond the basic formula. Whether that means playing around with the ratio of gin to vermouth (the famous Connaught Bar in London uses five parts gin to one part vermouth for its top-end version), upgrading your olives from basic to blue cheese-stuffed, opting for a funky vermouth, or simply using the best of Irish spirits, you’ll be able to find a version that works for you. The martini hotspots to tryThe Sackville Lounge in Dublin 1. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Bar 1661, Dublin 7 and The Sackville Lounge, Dublin 1 Sharing a back-room team, the offerings in these two bars are exceptional, but different in each location. There’s bucketloads of R&D behind each drink, but you’ll find Boatyard Distillery gin as the base of their perfect martini.The Prince of Wales Cocktail Bar at Ashford Castle, Cong, Co MayoSet in perfect luxury, this bar is a hidden treat at the five-star Ashford Castle resort. With a full page of martini offerings, as well as a myriad of vodka and gin options, the expert bartenders here will be able to serve you the martini of your dreams. Rattlebag, Ann Street, BelfastWith its moody speakeasy-style vibe and curated menu, Rattlebag is an excellent stop in Belfast. Its house martini is made with Boatyard Double Gin or Vodka with pine distillate, highlighting technique and taste in one carefully chilled glass.Pig’s Lane and Café du Parc, Killarney, Co Kerry Overseen by Sanecki, the O’Donoghue Ring Collection’s bars have a serious martini offering with modern techniques such as redistillation, centrifugation, and ultrasonic infusion all on the menu to help create the ultimate cocktail. With olive-distilled spirits forming the base of their dirty martinis, the technique matches taste here.