Drinking-In-Euroland

See, they don't know what a "Martini" is, all they know is the Martini brand vermouth which comes dry (white) or sweet (red).

Now I don't mind at all that they prefer their local Martini brand over the cocktail - but the thing is they don't even know that such a thing as a "Martini" cocktail exists which is strange considering the enormous effort they've gone to to copy (steal) all the other cocktail recipes Americans have invented for the past 30 years. And extra-strange given the Bond movies that have hawked Vodka martinis for at least that long.

But I'm more than happy to have fun at a bar and let them know what needs to be done to make a Gin Martini -- hey, put in a bunch of Gin, and then a splash of dry vermouth, chill over ice, serve, and thanks!  Instead what I get is Gin, dry vermouth, and ice chunks with pieces of lemon and lime wedges. And served with a small bottle of sparkling tonic water as if that will make things better.

I can only presume that the Martini brand corporation in Europe has put out some sort of cone of silence across the bartending culture - they not only feign complete ignorance of the Martini cocktail but actively go out of their way to sabotage it even when given specific instructions on what to do.

Slainte