50 Martini Quotes Celebrating The Iconic American Cocktail

By Clifton Sankofa

School Leader, Language Arts Expert & Master Quote Curator

Published May 23, 2023

Take a moment to enjoy our crisp, refreshing martini quotes.

Whether you like them shaken or stirred, the martini is a classic American drink that has stood the test of time.

Check out our martini quotes below to learn more.

What is a martini?

The original martini is an alcoholic drink made with gin and vermouth and garnished with olives or lemon twits.

Over the years, the vodka martini has gained popularity as a go-to version of the drink.

Check out these cool martini facts below:

The origin of the martini is still debated.
The Vesper martini was made famous by James Bond.
Martinis are traditionally served dry, meaning without ice.

People enjoy their martinis with many different garnishes and flavors.

A burnt martini has been mixed with smokey whiskey, a dirty martini has extra olive juice, and hot martinis include zesty hot sauce.

Who created the martini?

Like many popular cocktails in the United States, the origin of the martini is still debated.

One of the most popular theories is that the drink originated in Martinez, California.

Some historians claim that the drink was created in the mid-1800s during the California Gold Rush.

The story suggests that a miner who recently struck it rich decided to celebrate at a local bar.

He requested champagne for their celebration, but the bar had none.

Instead, the bartender made a drink with the ingredients he had on hand: gin, vermouth, bitters, maraschino liqueur, and lemon.

The drink was dubbed “The Martinez Special.”

The miner enjoyed it so much that he tried to order it again when he visited San Francisco.

The bartender had no idea what the miner was requesting, so the miner explained the drink to him.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The smooth, refreshing drink was first published in the Bartender’s Manual in the 1880s.

Do people prefer their martinis shaken or stirred?

Many people reference martinis from the 007 James Bond movies where Bond famously orders his martinis shaken, not stirred.

The martini Bond ordered is known as a Vesper martini.

However, most mixologists and bartenders would advise against shaking martinis.

When you shake the martini, little shards of ice break up and float in the drink.

Stirring the martini melts everything together for a smoother and more composed taste.

To learn more, check out or martini quotes below.

You will also enjoy our article on whiskey quotes.

Short Martini quotes about the All-American drink

Martinis are a classic American beverage enjoyed by millions every year.

1. “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.” — Sean Connery, James Bond 007

2. “Bikinis, zucchinis, martinis. No weenies.” — Snoop Dogg

3. “He was white and shaken, like a dry martini.” — P. G. Wodehouse

4. “I never go jogging; it makes me spill my martini.” — George Burns

5. “He knows just how I like my martini, full of alcohol.” — Homer Simpson

6. “I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.” — Humphrey Bogart

7. “If Plato is a fine red wine, then Aristotle is a dry martini.” — Eric Stoltz

8. “Let’s get out of these wet clothes and into a dry Martini.” — Mae West

9. “The martini is the supreme American gift to world culture.” — Bernard De Voto

10. “If it wasn’t for the olives in his martinis, he’d starve to death.” — Milton Berle

The best martini quotes about the classic beverage

This selection includes classic martini quotes from some amazing people.

11. “Let me fix you a martini that’s pure magic.” — Frank Sinatra

12. “I had to give up martinis; I enjoyed them too much.” — Brett Somers

13. “People don’t gather for martinis at 5 P. M. any more.” — Nicholas Hammond

14. “Really, can anyone drink several martinis at lunch?” — Christine Baranski

15. “I think people think we’re all sipping martinis by the pool.” — Maria Menounos

16. “Bright was the light of my last martini on my moral horizon.” — Norman Mailer

17. “When a horse learns to buy martinis, I’ll learn to like horses.” — Steve McQueen

18. “Martinis are the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet.” — H. L. Mencken

19. “A man must defend his home, his wife, his children, and his martini.” — Jackie Gleason

20. “I don’t think Bond does too much; he’s just suave and sexy. He rolls out with his martini and fancy cars. Wow, it sounds like my life already.” — Priyanka Chopra

The top funny martini quotes to make you smile

Who doesn’t love to laugh and sip a martini?

21. “Zen martini: A martini with no vermouth at all. And no gin, either.” — P.J. O’Rourke

22. “In what other business can a guy my age drink martinis, smoke cigars, and sing?” — George Burns

23. “Aside from the martini, the mint julep may be the most iconic cocktail in America.” — Jonathan Miles

24. “This is an excellent martini, sort of tastes like it isn’t there at all, just a cold cloud.” — Herman Wouk

25. “Now all the criminals in their suits and ties are free to drink martinis and watch the sunrise.” — Bob Dylan

26. “I want to be a superhero. Maybe I’ll be a bartending superhero who shakes martinis to save the world.” — Shanola Hampton

27. “Fondue sets, martini shakers, and juicing machines: three things the world could live completely without.” — Douglas Coupland

28. “I don’t party on weekends; I don’t get drunk or sip martinis. I spend my evenings playing ‘Megaman 3,’ buster only, with my kids.” — Scott Cawthon

29. “I think I’m probably much better at the boots and pocket knife thing than I am at the high heels and martini thing.” — Sarah Wayne Callies

30. “Martinis are glamorous but also so simple because they only have a few ingredients, and you can really taste the vodka.” — Stephanie Sigman

Martini quotes and sayings about the power of a cocktail

These quotes remind us why people love martinis for any occasion.

31. “Why don’t you get out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?” — Robert Benchley

32. “Happiness is a dry martini and a good woman, or a bad woman.” — George Burns

33. “A raise is like a martini: it elevates the spirit, but only temporarily.” — Daniel Seligman

34. “Happiness is finding two olives in your martini when you’re hungry.” — Johnny Carson

35. “I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample, it had an olive in it.” — Rodney Dangerfield

36. “You can no more keep a martini in the refrigerator than you can keep a kiss there.” — Bernard DeVoto

37. “I have either a cucumber martini, gin martini, or a vodka martini. That’s it. Simple.” — Robert De Niro

38. “I like to have a martini, two at the very most. After three, I’m under the table. After four, I’m under my host.” — Dorothy Parker

39. “I should like to elbow aside the established pieties and raise my martini glass in salute to the mortal arts of pleasure.” — Bob Shacochis

40. “A well-made Martini or Gibson, correctly chilled and nicely served, has been more often my true friend than any two-legged creature.” — M. F. K. Fisher

Famous martini quotes from connoisseurs of the craft

These quotes come from those who absolutely love martinis.

41. “One martini is all right. Two are too many, and three are not enough.” — James Thurber

42. “I don’t get cast as the guy who steps off a yacht in a white linen suit with a martini.” — Martin Freeman

43. “They say a martini is like a woman’s breast: one ain’t enough and three is too many.” — Gail, The Parallax View

44. “When I have one martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller—when I have a second, I feel superlative, when I have more, there’s no holding me.” — William Faulkner

45. “I am prepared to believe that a dry martini slightly impairs the palate, but think what it does for the soul.” — Alec Waugh

46. “A perfect martini should be made by filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy.” — Noel Coward

47. “All my life, I’ve been terrible at remembering people’s names. I once introduced a friend of mine as Martini. Her name was actually Olive.” — Tallulah Bankhead

48. “The three-martini lunch is the epitome of American efficiency. Where else can you get an earful, a bellyful, and a snootful at the same time?” — Gerald Ford

49. “Have you seen the bologna that has the olives in it? Who’s that for? ‘I like my bologna like a martini. With an olive.’ ‘I’ll have the bologna sandwich—dirty.’” — Jim Gaffigan

50. “I bought a piano once because I had the dream of playing As Time Goes By as some girl’s leaning on it drinking a martini. Great image. But none of it worked out. I can’t even play Chopsticks. But I’ve got a nice piano at my house!” — George Clooney

Are all martinis created equal?

Many people claim to be able to make the perfect martini.

Over the years, we have seen many variants of the drink take on new dimensions and flavors.

Every bar and restaurant seems to have some sort of drink that ends with the suffix ‘tini,’ such as appletini, lycheetini, and mochatini.

Many of these drinks have nothing to do with the original and are usually given these names because they are served in a martini glass.

The irony here is that the martini glass existed long before the martini was created.

The v-shaped glass is old and has been used to house various drinks for generations before the martini was created.

We are approaching almost two hundred years since the first martini was mixed, and the drink has yet to go out of style.

William Faulkner once said, “When I have one martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller. When I have a second, I feel superlative; when I have more, there’s no holding me.”