How to Make a Martini

First you need to dim the overhead lights.
They are far too harsh, and in such a glare
the spirits, claiming modesty, will not
leave the bottle the way they were meant to:
sultry, debonair, almost clandestine. 

Next, you select precisely four ice cubes.
Tap water is okay, distilled is best.
What matters is their dimension: no less
than one inch per side, and no chips or cracks.

Tilt a stainless-steel shaker ten degrees.
Slide the ice cubes along its inner wall,
taking great care that they do not fracture
or make much noise when they hit the bottom.

Add in three ounces of gin or vodka, 
then take a bottle of extra dry vermouth
and pour it down the drain of your sink;
as the vapors rise, let them condense
around the rim and insides of your shaker.

Close the top and shake with marked vigor
an odd number of times – preferably 
a prime number, though not more than twenty. 

Strain into a glass. Any one is fine,
it only needs to have chilled overnight
in your fridge on a shelf by itself. 

Now embellish with a single olive:
a Castelvetrano, its pit removed
and in the round hollow space that is left
a tiny Manchego wedge wrapped tightly
in a little Soppressata kerchief.

Never mind the toothpick, wood or plastic –
for it is cumbersome and will impede
your lips from taking the sip they are due.