For so long as the Martini has existed, so have efforts to make—and hold—the drink as chilly as doable. These efforts have included all the things from ultrasonic expertise to “Supercooling Magic.” However even when we managed to crack the code on delivering a drink at exactly –12 levels Celsius, there was nonetheless the issue of guaranteeing it stayed that approach as soon as it entered the glass.

That’s, till the appearance and subsequent widespread adoption of the sidecar—a single-serve carafe nestled right into a mattress of crushed ice that holds the rest of the drink till it’s able to be consumed. Downside solved. 

Positive, a perfectionist may take problem with the truth that, until the bar has opted for a very small Martini glass (a selection I personally endorse), the drink seems half-empty (or, I suppose, half-full when you’re a kind of folks) when it arrives. However it is a small worth to pay for a drink saved uniformly chilly, from the primary sip to the final.

The Martini, nonetheless, conjures up fixed iteration. It’s a mirror for the second—it could possibly by no means be cracked as soon as and for all. And when you order the drink at any variety of new bars, from Schmuck in New York Metropolis to Gus’ Sip & Dip in Chicago, you may discover that earlier than you end the drink, a bartender swoops in to switch your half-consumed Martini right into a contemporary, frosted glass, a transfer popularized on the upscale American restaurant chain Hillstone. Does this make the second half of your drink any colder? No. Nevertheless it certain does make you are feeling particular.

And it’s an attention-grabbing counterpoint to the prevailing sidecar strategy. Each have their flaws, however the rise of the Refrost, as I’m calling it, represents a welcome shift away from the notion of the cocktail itself because the epicenter of the cocktail bar expertise. As a substitute, it reinforces the true motive we exit to bars within the first place—to really feel seen, taken care of, linked. 

In fact, I sometimes don’t have time to take pleasure in both strategy. I eliminate my Martini within the method Harry Craddock himself most popular: “Shortly, whereas it’s nonetheless laughing at you.” 

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