Three Olives Day

October 14th

A Dry Martini in the memory of Sir Roger Moore.

The occasion

October 14th is the birthday of Sir Roger Moore, of James Bond fame. The man might not be with us anymore, but his legacy lives on. So, to celebrate his memory, and his excellent taste in Dry Martinis, October 14th is Three Olives Day.

Thanks to numerous interviews during his lifetime, we know exactly how Sir Roger preferred his Dry Martini. It is the house serve, and it is where you should start.

The house serve

No. 1

The Roger Moore

Cocktail glass, frozenRinsedThree olives

  1. Chill your glass in the freezer beforehand, if possible.
  2. Fill the glass with ice.
  3. Pour a dash of dry vermouth into the glass.
  4. Swirl the ice and vermouth, then throw it all away.
  5. Pour the desired amount of London Dry gin into the glass.
  6. Add three green olives, and enjoy.

It is an excellent Dry Martini. It does raise some questions, which are answered further down.

Seven more Dry Martinis, for the other 364 days. All of them are served in a chilled cocktail glass, and all of them are improved by three olives, whatever the garnish says.

No. 2

Classic Dry

StirredLemon twist or olives

  • London Dry gin 60 ml2 oz
  • Dry vermouth 10 ml⅓ oz

Stir with plenty of ice for thirty seconds. Strain into the glass. Express a lemon twist over the top and drop it in, or skip the lemon and add three olives.

The baseline everybody argues from. Six to one, cold as the grave.

No. 3

Bone Dry

StirredOne olive, or three

  • London Dry gin 60 ml2 oz
  • Dry vermouth a glance at the bottle

Stir the gin with ice while looking at the vermouth. Strain. Garnish with an olive.

Churchill is said to have bowed in the direction of France instead. Sir Roger at least let the vermouth touch the glass.

No. 4

Fifty-Fifty

StirredLemon twist

  • London Dry gin 45 ml1½ oz
  • Dry vermouth 45 ml1½ oz
  • Orange bitters 1 dash

Stir with ice until very cold. Strain, and finish with a lemon twist.

The civilised afternoon Martini. Use a vermouth you would drink on its own, because you nearly are.

No. 5

Dirty Martini

StirredThree olives

  • London Dry gin 60 ml2 oz
  • Dry vermouth 10 ml⅓ oz
  • Olive brine 10–15 ml½ oz

Stir everything with ice. Strain into the glass. Three olives, no discussion.

On theme, and unapologetic about it. Use the brine from the olives you are garnishing with.

No. 6

Gibson

StirredCocktail onion

  • London Dry gin 60 ml2 oz
  • Dry vermouth 10 ml⅓ oz

Stir with ice, strain, and garnish with a cocktail onion. Two if you are generous.

The Classic Dry in a different hat. On the 14th, you know what to swap the onion for.

No. 7

Vesper

ShakenLemon peel

  • London Dry gin 60 ml2 oz
  • Vodka 20 ml⅔ oz
  • Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano 10 ml⅓ oz

Shake hard with ice until the shaker frosts over. Strain into a deep cocktail glass and add a large, thin slice of lemon peel.

The one from Casino Royale, for completeness. Fleming's Kina Lillet no longer exists, which is why Cocchi Americano is the closer match.

No. 8

Vodka Martini

Shaken, not stirredThree olives

  • Vodka 60 ml2 oz
  • Dry vermouth 10 ml⅓ oz

Shake with ice, strain into the glass, add three olives.

Bond ordered it. Moore drank gin. Draw your own conclusions.

Questions

What vermouth should I use?

There are plenty of dry vermouths out there. Noilly Prat is a decent choice that doesn't break the bank, while adding the desired touch to the drink. Don't overthink the vermouth part, it's only with us for a little bit.

What gin should I use?

The rule is London Dry gin. There are plenty to choose from, with different flavour profiles. You won't go wrong with Beefeater or Bombay Sapphire, but my pick is Tanqueray.

Stirred or shaken?

Stirred. A Dry Martini is all spirit, and stirring keeps it clear and silky. Shaking chips the ice, clouds the drink and dilutes it faster. It is acceptable if you are a fictional spy, or in a hurry.

Why three olives?

Sir Roger Moore said, in an interview late in life, that his doctors said he wasn't allowed Dry Martinis anymore. He did, however, encourage everyone else that enjoyed the drink to add three olives. Why? Well, olives soaked in gin are tasty, so you should have one, and one's not enough, so it should be two. The third one is for Sir Roger Moore, should he be present. His doctor didn't say anything about olives.

Don't forget

Life is tricky and it is hard to remember things. Subscribe to the free reminder and we'll write to you before Three Olives Day. Should there be developments on this very site, we'll let you know about that too.

One or two emails a year. Unsubscribe whenever you like. Powered by Buttondown.

Spread the word

Wear the glass on the 14th. Use it as your avatar, put the sticker on something, or share the image. All free, no strings.