The Martini in Amber

The martini is the velociraptor of cocktails, effortlessly perfect in its irrefutable, reptilian logic. It cannot be improved, it cannot be perfected, it cannot be mastered. But what is a martini? What are its proportions? Is it gin, vermouth, water, olive, or twist? Or, as the ancient manuscripts tell us, are there bitters in the martini’s DNA? A few dashes of citrus bitters may not answer the question once and for all, but through the palest amber of liquids in your glass you will see, at last, the perfection of the question.