Here's How Many Shots You're Actually Drinking In A Standard Martini

In most utilitarian terms, knowing how to make classic cocktails comes down to dosing out alcohol. Among time-tested tipples, few drinks come with a more shifting composition than a martini. A variable base of gin or vodka is complemented by an equally unfixed concentration of vermouth — running from an equal parts ratio, to a rinse, or even full omission. Throw in the fact that the cocktail is celebrated for its stiff composition, and it's very tricky to delineate the quantity of shots in a standard martini.

Thankfully, there is a convention to the craft, with particular templates tracking imbibing. For starters, there's the volume of the shot. The drinking term ranges from ⅔ of an ounce to well over two ounces in size, each capacity upheld by regional affiliations. In the U.S., a standard drink of a 40% ABV distilled spirit is considered to be 1.5 ounces, according to the National Institute of Health.

Such a size is also the typical capacity of the large part of a jigger, enabling convenient measurement amidst martini assembly. For the cocktail, a single jigger pour of spirit is rare – such an amount simply won't fill a typical serving vessel. Instead, two shots (three ounces) is the more common composition in a classic martini recipe. Although take note bartenders often deviate per taste and occasion, packing in as many as five shots or less than one in a tiny tini.

The history of the martini covers a beverage with an ever-shifting composition, the strength of the cocktail a reflection of drinking trends. In the beginning, the drink spun off from sweet, vermouth and liqueur-heavy tipples, with recipes from the early 1900s often calling for only half a jigger of full-proof spirit (typically gin at the time). Yet into the 20th century, bartenders started crafting increasingly drier takes on the cocktail, by way of better available spirits and new preferences.

Subsequently, the martini started mixing in an ever-growing quantity of shots, all while proliferating into a dizzying array of riffs. Vodka joined along as a go-to liquor base, its smoother nature integrating in extra-boozy spin-offs like the Vesper martini, a cocktail that uses some four ounces of liquor. Other renditions like the famed Dukes Martini emerged, which also comes with some four ounces of spirit, served extra chilled.

With the abundance of new recipes, the concept of a martini became increasingly wide-ranging. The cocktail is a drink made to personal preferences, whether that means dirty or vermouth-heavy, served to the brim in a six-ounce martini glass or with a sidecar alongside to keep the booze cold. To determine the cocktail's strength, the only surefire approach is to ask the bartender — ultimately, the pour is all up to them.