Albert Stevens Crockett

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. The original Martini, which is made with sweet Italian vermouth, sugar syrup, and orange bitters, lost out to the type made with just dry French vermouth, but it is still an excellent drink. This recipe, adapted from the estimable The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book (1935) by Albert Stevens Crockett, calls for Old Tom Gin, which is sweeter than dry gin. Since Old Tom isn't easy to find nowadays, we've substituted a combination of dry gin and simple syrup.