The martini is a cocktail made with gin and dry white vermouth, although substituting vodka for gin is now common. It is often described as being "crisp" or "astringent". Over the years, the martini has become perhaps the most well-known mixed alcoholic beverage. H. L. Mencken once called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet",and E. B. White called it "the elixir of quietude". It is also the proverbial drink of the one-time "three-martini lunch" of business executives, now largely abandoned as part of companies' "fitness for duty" programs.The martini is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury's classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.
