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Martini Glass Eternally Overlooked And Always Elegantly Understated

In this era of compressed living when both time and space run at a premium, there may not be a kitchen home decor accent quiet so perfect and versatile as the simple martini glass.

While too often perceived as fragile, the martini glass is robust and versatile in its many uses immediately conveying a sense of elegance and sophistication and the deft suggestion of accomplishment and certainty in its confident employment.

The simplicity in its design is perhaps the biggest part of its charm, aside, of course from its contents.

The perfect martini, according to Winston Churchill, required only four ingredients: gin, vermouth, olives and ice. A fan of the very dry martini, he would assemble the four ingredients, ensuring the gin was very, very ice cold as it hit the glass and then tiptoe across the room, away from the vermouth requiring only a glance at the bottle to perfect his martini.

Others recommend a four to one ratio: gin to vermouth. Still others recommend simply swirling the vermouth around the martini glass and then emptying it. And of course, there are those who prefer their martini glass contain vodka versus gin.

That is the martini glass at its intended employment.

There are, however, other uses. The martini glass is the simple, perfect vessel for a shrimp cocktail. It is also the perfect sized container for a soup as an appetizer.

For the best of both worlds, particularly as the weather warms, a light, refreshing chilled gazpacho can be enlivened, updated and upscaled with the addition of a touch of vodka. Absolut Gazpacho. Served very chilled with prosciutto wafers and you have the perfect appetizer guests can wander and marvel at the wonder of this elegant, deceptively simple, palate cleansing creation.

On the other side of dinner, the martini glass willingly and gracefully serves as the perfect vehicle for dessert. A sorbet would be de-lovely but for that added cachet of sophistication and whimsy we prefer a champagne, kiwi and pear granitas, easily accomplished with strained pears, blended kiwis, a piccolo of your favorite champagne, sugar to taste and the patience to remove from the freezer and stir hourly with a fork until reaching the desired consistency.

So much versatility imbued within such a little vessel. And if space is at a premium in your loft or studio apartment, there is perhaps no better place to keep your martini glass than in the freezer.