An overwhelming majority of European and Latin American bartenders are under the impression that anyone who asks for a Martini wants a cocktail fashioned mostly from Martini—and Martini & Rossi is the name of a vermouth, no? So for many traveling abroad, it is difficult to find a classic cocktail that fits the bill. I've taught the Dry Martini to countless bartenders in sundry ports of call. All the effort put forward just to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail, provide another arrow for the barman’s quiver and for the benefit of the next weary traveler in need of a Dry Martini. One must do what one can in order to civilize an otherwise untamed world. The Classic is a mix of gin combined with dry vermouth in a five-to-one ratio. All that froufrou martini crap be damned (appletini, chocotini, etc.). That's all nothing more than candy-coated marketing for the uninitiated. The recipe of choice is really very simple:
Preparation - In a shaker filled with ice, combine gin and vermouth. Shake well, then strain into a frozen martini glass. Garnish with olive and sip your way into something much more comfortable.
When you arrive in the city of La Paz there’s no need to teach anyone a thing. There is one oasis of cocktail sensibility. Just go to Restaurant Vienna! There the bartenders, admirably, practice the classic and its variations. They even have little onions if you'd prefer to go Gibson. And by the way, the plates and Mousse over fresh berries are fabulous, too!
So perfect is Vienna's Dry Martini that when they ask if I’d care for another, I respond with my grandfather’s maxim; “A bird cannot fly with but one wing!” Cheers!
Restaurant Vienna
Address: Federico Zuazo #1905
Tel: 244.1660
Central City- La Paz, Bolivia
Once on the trail of Pisco Sour there is no shirking duty ´til the investigation comes to a natural close. Not to throw onesself into the company of Brother Cadfael, C. Auguste Dupin, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Sherlock Holmes or our dear Watson. No, not at all. My comment is more that once the trail is warm and you happen to be on the South American coast that grows the grape and where is produced the clear brandy called Pisco, it is only natural to follow where curiousity leads. If that trail is littered with glass after glass of a spent favorite cocktail, multiple locations, two countries, so be it. Pictured here, Pisco Sour, Azapa Inn, Azapa Valley Northern Chile.
