Several American stories place the origin of the Martini somewhere in California in the late 1800's. The first recorded mention of the Martini was in a bartender's guide published in the United States in 1888 and the drink was featured in an 1894 advertisement for a line of premixed cocktails. English and Italian bartending lore also contest the paternity of the Martini, but their claims are dubious at best, and the Martini is generally considered to be an American invention.
Two of the more plausible American tales have to do with Martinez, California. The citizens there were so convinced that their town was the birthplace of the Martini that they installed a brass plaque to lay claim to that "fact". The plaque reads in part: "On this site in 1874, Julio Richelieu, Bartender, served up the first martini when a miner came into his saloon with a fistfull of nuggets and asked for something special. He was served a 'Martinez Special'..."
We may never learn who really authored the first Martini, but what we do know is that since its rise to glory it has been the symbol of the perfect drink; the ultimate in sophistication and relaxation. Hemingway's war heroes drank Martinis, Ian Fleming's James Bond liked his "shaken not stirred", Johnny Carson wrote a book about them, and many famous actors, writers, artists and entrepreneurs claim the Martini as their cocktail of choice.
While recipes and tastes may vary, today's Martini continues to be in a class by itself. It reflects a style and tradition that is never out of vogue; a certain romantic individualism that promises a break from the mundane and a brush with elegance.
