When I first became interested in mixing drinks, the plan was to learn all the classics first. I wanted to master the basics and work my way into all the “fancy” stuff, just to see if I could. Little did I know then that the classics involve more hard work and practice than pretty much anything else. The small amount of controversy that took place over making a proper Old Fashioned indicates that the staples require a finesse that your average Long Island Iced Tea does not.

Thus, below is my recipe for a Gibson, culled and whittled from various sources until I arrived at the balance that best suited my taste.

2 oz chilled dry gin
dash dry vermouth
cocktail onion

Coat inside of chilled glass with vermouth, then add gin. Garnish with cocktail onion and serve.

The first few runs through, I confirmed what I had long suspected: it’s the vermouth that makes it or breaks it. Be it a Gibson, a martini, a Manhattan—too much or too little and the balance is ruined. It’s the alcoholic equivalent of leaning too far to the left on the high beam (assuming, of course, that you are a female gymnast).

The process of trial and error (and input from friends) finally led to swirling a rather hefty dash of vermouth around the inside, dumping the excess and then adding the chilled gin and onion. This serves two purposes. First, it gives even coverage with the vermouth, so everything is properly mixed without shaking or stirring; second, it requires little to no measuring, so you can make a consistently great drink without much fuss.