Combine the gin and the vermouth in the glass. Add the water and the twist.
Notes
To simplify making the martini and dispense with the stirring to chill it, I freeze my gin and add it straight to a frozen glass. To compensate for the dilution one would get from stirring it with ice, I add a little water. This makes the flavor of the gin more accessible.As for vermouth—I want to know it's there. None of this wave a bottle of vermouth over the glass business. But I don't want the flavor to be pronounced, either; I want merely the suspicion of vermouth. I can go as high as a 6 to 1 ratio of gin to vermouth—that would be about 1-½ teaspoons for a 3-ounce pour. A capful is about a teaspoon, and it's right there, ready to be of measuring service.I prefer Beefeater. I also love Hendrix, and for a martini, Plymouth. I've recently tasted the pricey Monkey 47 and it's fabulous, but again, a special occasion martini.