Feb 15thWildfire, How to order a martini

The other day we all went out to Wildfire in McLean.  I’m not sure why I like Wildfire so much.  The food is good but not great.  I think its more because the restaurant feels like stepping into a time machine.  It pulls off the 40s supper club vibe that other steak houses can’t.  The service is always good, and they know how to make a cocktail.  When ordering a cocktail, I usually go for something with bourbon as its base.  Growing up, I knew that Bond like martinis.  I also mixed some martinis up at Christmas parties Sally Draper style.  However, I never really fell in love with the martini.  It might be because the Bond style of Martini (vodka, shaken) isn’t really to my taste, but more likely, its because I didn’t really like olives all that much until later in life.  Eventually I developed a taste for olives and gin.  The martini still isn’t a usual order for me, but at Wildfire, it just feels right.

So let me give credit where credit is due.  A while back, I heard a buddy order a martini, and realized I didn’t really know how.  Its definitely something every gentleman should know, so I did a little googling, and realized its much easier than I thought.  The number of steps in ordering a martini varies, as one can leave some out if its one’s preference.  First, you need to decide between vodka and gin.  Then, if you want, you can specify how much vermouth you want by ordering it dry, perfect, or wet.  Martinis are already typically served pretty dry by historical standards, so by specifying that you want a martini dry, you’ll get a very small amount of vermouth.  I prefer not to specify at all.  Next, you can specify whether you want the cocktail shaken or stirred.  If you opt not to specify, it will likely be stirred.  I won’t get into the differences between shaken and stirred martinis here (google has a plethora of information on the subject).  I will way that I do not specify when ordering, but do prefer my martini to be stirred.  Next you have to decide if you want your martini served up (in a typical martini glass) or on the rocks (in a tumbler with ice).  Why anyone would order a martini on the rocks is beyond me, but to each his own.  Finally, you can specify the garnish (olive, onions, a twist, etc.).  Depending on how elaborate your own personal martini order is, it may serve to impress your guy friends, but alienate business associates and eharmony dates. (consider your company).  The martinis pictured were ordered: “Gin martini, up, three olives.”  It can be as simple as that.

While on the topic, I’d also like to mention how well Wildfire does the quintessential steakhouse meal: martini, wedge salad, red wine, steak.  They offer a bone-in ribeye, which is my favorite cut, and it can be ordered as rare as you want (literally, as they will even cook it blue).  When ordered rare, it still comes with a decent char.