World Martini Day Date in the current year: June 15, 2024

A martini is an alcoholic cocktail consisting of gin and vermouth that was invented sometime in the mid-19th century. According to one theory, it was developed by and named after a popular Italian brand of vermouth. Another theory suggests that the martini has evolved from a cocktail named the Martinez, which is made with dry gin, sweet red vermouth, maraschino or curaçao liqueur, and orange bitters.

The earliest recipe of a cocktail named “dry martini” that resembles a modern martini can be found in the 1908 revised edition of the bartender’s guide The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them. It calls for equal amounts of dry English gin and French vermouth, two dashes orange bitters, and cracked ice. Today, the term “dry martini” commonly refers to cocktails made with significantly less vermouth than gin.

The amount of vermouth in the martini steadily dropped over the course of the 20th century: from 1:1 in the 1910s and 1920s to 3:1 (gin to vermouth) in the 1920s to 4:1 in the 1940s. According to the International Bartenders Association (IBA), which lists the dry martini as one of its official cocktails in the Unforgettables category, a dry martini should consist of 6 parts gin and 1 part dry vermouth. It is served in a chilled martini glass with a lemon twist or green olives.

Today, the dry martini is regarded as the traditional version of the cocktail. The many variations of this iconic mixed drink have their own names:

• Wet martini: contains more vermouth than the dry martini.
• 50-50 martini: contains equal amounts of gin and vermouth.
• Reverse/upside-down martini: contains more vermouth than gin.
• Dirty martini: a martini with a splash of olive juice or olive brine.
• Gibson: a martini garnished with a pickled onion instead of olives.
• Extra dry martini: a martini with very little to no vermouth.
• Vodka martini: a martini made with vodka instead of gin.

World Martini Day is an independent global celebration of the martini that has been around since the early 2010s. It was initially known as National Martini Day, and its original date was June 19. However, the celebration was rescheduled to the third Saturday of June in 2021 for a number of reasons.

First of all, celebrating an alcoholic cocktail on a Saturday makes sense because it’s the best day of the week for relaxation (at least for those who work Monday to Friday). Secondly, this way World Martini Day is celebrated exactly a week after World Gin Day, which falls on the second Saturday of June. Finally, June 19 is Juneteenth in the United States, and World Martini Day should not distract Americans from celebrating emancipation (although it should be noted that the two holidays may still coincide).

There are many ways to celebrate World Martini Day. You can learn about the history of this amazing cocktail and the right way to make it, go out to your favorite bar and have a martini or two, host a cocktail party for your friends (ask everyone to bring a different brand of gin and figure out which one tastes better in cocktails), and post about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #WorldMartiniDay to spread the word.