I know a lot of my posts start out this way, but it was a very long day that prompted this drink. It wasn’t an especially terrible day at work but one filled with myriad of little grievances, culminating in mind-numbingly bad traffic (ah, Los Angeles!). Upon finally arriving home, I needed something bracing to restore my balance and inspire me to make dinner, so I turned to Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts and turned pages until this old favorite caught my eye.

1½ oz London dry gin
½ oz dry vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
lemon twist

Stir—with enthusiasm—over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel over the glass and drop in for garnish.

There are many schools of thought on the martini garnish, primarily separated into the olive and lemon camps. Though I love a good olive (and have been known to kill a jar in two days, if left alone with one), I think the tart, enlivening flavor of lemon brings the martini to the next level. (Though lemon-stuffed olives might be the compromise that changes my mind. Note to self: get on that.)

Nothing terribly new to see here, but who doesn’t love a good martini of an evening?