Now, perhaps a visit with the General. The shaker usually received a goodly measure of Noilly Prat with its Seagrams, but today he was in the mood for something drier. Named for Sir Bernard Law Montgomery of the British Eighth Army, the drink's proportions of gin to vermouth (at 15 to 1) are said to represent the General's requirement for outnumbering the enemy prior to engagement. World War II was a long time ago, and, bygones being bygones, he referred to the drinks moniker indirectly -- "a visit with the General" rather than "mixing a Montgomery." No sense in offering offense to our brethren across the pond without good reason.
His obsession with martini lore and ritual approached the macabre. Sometimes he stirred them, but when he shook them it was always in waltz time for twelve measures. This was just enough to frost the outside of the shaker and ensure thoroughly chilled and slightly diluted contents.The glass had been recently liberated from the freezer, and awaited its baptism in icy silence, holding a huge garlic-stuffed olive skewered on a toothpick.
He removed the lid, decanted the bone-numbing liquid, set the shaker aside for a moment, then turned it upside down once more, allowing a little more melt and a couple of tiny ice fragments into the glass. The results were altogether satisfactory.
Copyright © 2003, 2004 Brian K. Noe - All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2007 Brian Noe
Theme Design by Bryan Bell
