Video: How to Make A Martini

The Serious Eats crew has been known to cut out of work early for "meetings" at Ward III, the Tribeca bar co-owned by Behind the Bar columnist Michael Neff. We recently spent a whole afternoon there asking Michael about a few of our favorite classic cocktails, and we caught the whole thing on video.—The Mgmt.

[Photographs and Video: Jessica Leibowitz]

Summertime's a busy entertaining season—high time for us to brush up on a few essential cocktails and learn a little more about them. We asked New York bartender Michael Neff to show us how to make some essential drinks, and to tell us a bit of the story behind each one.

While some cocktails might seem simple, especially when they have very few ingredients, we shouldn't underestimate their complexity. For example, the Martini varies according to both the drinker's demands and the bartender's technique. Come join us for a round—this one's on the house.

Tell us: how do you like your martini?

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About the videographer: Jessica Leibowitz is in charge of all things video at Serious Eats. You can follow more of her adventures on her site mycameraeatsfood.com, or on Twitter at @photo_delicious.

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