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Cocktails at Nine, Antwerp (photo by the author)
The perfect Martini is a state of mind. Let me explain.
There are many guides to what constitutes a good gin Martini. Opinions vary, but most will agree on a few essentials. It must be made with the best gin you can lay your hands on. It must be very dry (only a few drops of vermouth). It must not stand on the ice for long (or it will be watery). And it must be very, very cold.
A strangely oppressive heatwave had settled over Belgium during our first days there. The mood of our second visit to Antwerp was dimmed by a 90-minute ride on an airless bus, where temperatures easily exceeded 40° C thanks to tightly shut windows and a lack of air conditioning. Dan and I were weighing our travel options for the day (explore Heist-op-den-Berg – the small village we were staying in – by foot and risk being slightly bored, or chance it on the bus again and have the available entertainments of the big city) when our host offered to drive us to Ghent for the afternoon. Of course, we quickly accepted.
