The martini is one of the most infamous libations in the history of alcoholic beverages. Now the little drink that gives a big buzz has made a comeback and has University of Wisconsin students saying, “Shaken, not stirred.”
Not long ago a UW student would have to trek up to Madison’s capitol square for a decent martini, but now more and more bars are specializing in what was once thought to be the power drink of the rich and famous.
The newly opened Johnny O’s was originally planned to be decorated as a Wisconsin Northwoods hunting lodge and serve a standard slew of beers, but employees saw a different potential for the bar. Johnny O’s workers said they saw the martini’s rise in popularity among students and suggested to turn the establishment into a stylish bar with an extensive list of specialty martinis instead.
Johnny O’s Manager Marshall Childs said martinis account for more than one-third of all sales at Johnny O’s, which now joins the ranks of Madison martini bars including Blue Velvet, the City and the new Crave.
“In the last three years martinis have become so popular that it actually amazed me,” Childs said.
Perhaps most amazing is that notoriously stingy college students are shelling out for what is usually the most expensive drink in any given bar.
Although there is disagreement among aficionados, many attribute students’ suffering of eight dollars per drink to the glamorous image the martini has acquired. The martini has always carried with it an air of sophistication, beginning with its rumored invention at the swank Knickerbocker Hotel in New York and continuing to its adoption by famous fictional characters such as Ian Fleming’s James Bond and the girls of HBO’s “Sex in the City.”
“People drink them because they’re sophisticated,” said UW senior Andrea Whitmann. “It’s not just a bottle of beer.”
Also in the martini’s favor, the product and the atmosphere of the establishment tend to complement each other. The low key, elegant and relaxed atmosphere of martini bars is another attribute that draws students.
“Students come here for something different,” said Nicole Norris, a bartender at Blue Velvet. “It’s a classy place to just chill. It’s not a crowded, noisy, beer guzzling bar.”
Reborn, the martini has become a smoother concoction. While many students cannot choke down even the finest gin and vermouth, the lone ingredients in a classic martini, when it is called a Bikini Martini and contains vodka, Malibu, pineapple juice and grenadine, it tends to go down a bit smoother.
“No one gets a classic martini anymore. The craze is about the new kinds of martinis,” Whittman said.
Childs agreed, “They get you drunk just as much and they taste good. When you put something tasty and pure alcohol on campus, it’s going to sell.”
Norris said bartenders are inventing new martinis every weekend to fit every taste.
“A customer came in and wanted a Chocolate Banana martini. It’s not on our menu but I made it, and it was really good. A lot of bartenders make up their own and then give it a name,” Norris said. “It’s almost a form of art.”
