FIVE OF THE BEST Vodkas for a Martini

The Martini is one of the best-known cocktails in the world, but should it be made with vodka or gin? The earliest Martinis were made with gin, with the very first recipe – a mix of gin and sweet vermouth – appearing in Harry Johnson’s of 1888. In contrast, the Vodka, published in 1951 and written by Ted Saucier, publicist for the glamorous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. But fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond really put the drink on the map, with his ‘Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred’.