Martini

IT would appear that "feminization" has hit the bars ["Herbal Cocktails, Anyone?" by Donna Deane, May 24]. Too much soy has finally caught up with us. What's up with the flavored, infused and radioactive martinis that both men and women are drinking these days? If you want a martini, have a martini -- the silver shimmer of a good vodka coating a sparkling glass with just the right balance between smooth and tingle. The only decision should be "one olive or two?" Anything else is soda pop for the children pretending to be adults.

We were opening Christmas gifts last year when my much better half dropped a package on my lap -- a cold, heavy package. Curious (and suddenly chilly), I opened it. Bacon. Six pounds of artisan bacon, ranging from thick-cut hickory-smoked to jalapeño-spiced and apple-cinnamon, varieties hailing from Virginia to upstate New York, Texas to Tennessee. Now if that's not true love, I don't know what is. I'm a bacon fanatic. In or out of the kitchen, sometimes it's all I can think about: the vibrant red as it cooks, the smokiness, the subtle crunch, the sizzle, the wonderful aroma that will not be denied.

Martinis. Comes a rare Friday we're not expected to attend anything, arrive anywhere. Work's over. No one's waiting for their dinner. Kids aren't around. Husband feels as I do. Stirred, not shaken really does make a difference. Poured elegantly, on the stem. Wine is fine for social occasions, but I can risk a martini or two when no one's expecting another thing from me. I revel in it. --DIANE WITTENBERG San Marino

For many native Angelenos like Gail Samuel, summertime concerts at the Hollywood Bowl are a Southern California ritual as eagerly anticipated as the opening-day bite of a Dodger Dog. This year Samuel will be taking her lifelong Bowl-going habit to a new level in her recently appointed role as chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which spends its summers at the Bowl. Her programming prescription for the venue, Samuel said, will hew closely to the Bowl's decades-old philosophy.

"A straight vodka martini is a cocktail with a hole in the middle." ["Flowering of Cool New Gins," July 12.] I couldn't agree more! I am so glad someone is giving this crazy vodka craze a slam. JANET MCCRACKEN Pacific Palisades McCracken is an associate food editor at Bon Appetit magazine. FROM a longtime food writer and bartender (starting at San Francisco Press Club in 1964), thank you for expressing so well what every gin purist should profess. And by the way, call any drink whatever you like, but if the spirits aren't flavored with juniper berries, don't call it a martini.

I think I caught most of the names Paul Dean dropped in "The Perfect Martini Is All in the Way You Spin the Yarn" (June 23), but, I fumbled one and now just have to ask: Who the devil is "Wallace" Simpson? Do you wish subtly to reveal the real reason the duke and duchess of Windsor died childless? And if so, have you thought about selling their tale to the tabloids? The perfect martini does exist, by the way, independent of any mythology. It requires only Tanqueray (no class consciousness here--"too popular," indeed)

Anne Valdespino's piece ("The chichi martini," Jan. 2) was an island of sanity in a sea of martini madness. I especially appreciated her debunking of the James Bond myth. I'd always felt that Ian Fleming created a character that essentially disliked martinis, thus the need to dilute them senselessly. Thank you. David Rosner Los Angeles

This letter is in reference to "Drink Up" (May 22). We have been fighting a war on drugs for years and yet your paper somehow felt it was appropriate to write an article glorifying the martini. Isn't the martini made from alcohol? Isn't alcohol a drug? Aren't people dying every day from the misuse of drugs? Isn't it time we stopped glamorizing all drugs? PHYLLIS LETIZIA Beverly Hills

The two-martini lunch is the perfect recreation for some, but for others it's a threat to their lives and well being. About 10 million Americans suffer from alcoholism, and consequently affect the lives of about 40 million others-family, friends and colleagues. Recognizing this problem, the U.S.

Auld Lang Syne 2000: The famous lighted ball that drops at Times Square every New Year's Eve is finally getting some competition. San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel plans to usher in the year 2000 with a huge lighted olive that will plunge 32 stories into a massive electronic martini glass. The hotel will also launch fireworks from its roof and is offering a special "millennium suite" for just $99,000 (which might sound expensive, but it also includes free dance lessons). Naturally, we hope other cities will follow San Francisco's lead.

  Total time: 5 minutes Servings: 1 cocktail Note: Adapted from Lola's. Soak the apple slice in lemon water to keep it from browning before serving. 1 ounce apple liqueur, preferably Apple Pucker 1 ounce vodka, preferably Ketel One Dash of sweet and sour Slice of Granny Smith apple In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the apple liqueur, vodka and sweet and sour. Shake, then strain into a martini glass.

Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, a rare and often outspoken liberal within the highly conservative Catholic Church hierarchy who was nevertheless often mentioned as a candidate for pope, died Friday. He was 85. Martini, a Jesuit and former archbishop of the important archdiocese of Milan, had Parkinson's disease. The archdiocese announced his death. For years, Martini had been Europe's most prominent liberal cardinal, frequently voicing openness on such divisive church issues as priestly celibacy, homosexuality and the use of condoms to fight AIDS.

This Monday is Labor Day, and America will celebrate with a three-day weekend. But why should this great nation's working people wait until Monday to exercise their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of a deserved cocktail? Ducking out early on Friday is an American tradition to rival baseball and capitalism. Given the travails of the 99%, it's your patriotic duty to honor your laboring forebears and hit the pub while the sun's still high today. Here are a few of L.A.'s canonical three-martini lunch bars and early-evening happy hours.

It's the year of the dragon, and if Klaus Puck has his way, you'll be breathing fire in no time. Puck, the brother of chef Wolfgang Puck, oversees the wine and spirits program at WP24 Restaurant & Lounge by Wolfgang Puck at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles. In this drink, tequila is mellowed by sweet Cointreau and cut with tart grapefruit and lime juice. The heat comes courtesy of a couple of jalapeño slices. Serve this with a spring roll for the perfect pre-dinner treat. -- Dragon's Fire cocktail by Klaus Puck 2 slices of jalapeño 11/2 ounces Herradura añejo 3/4 ounce Cointreau 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice 1/2 ounce lime juice 1/2 ounce simple syrup Muddle the jalapeño in a martini mixing glass, add the other ingredients and shake; salt the rim of a martini glass and strain the mixture into it. Garnish with a Thai basil leaf.

Pink Martini, the "little orchestra" of Portland, Ore., returns to ring in the New Year with its genre-crossing fusion of Brazilian samba, '30s Cuban dance and Parisian cafe, with special guest National Public Radio correspondent Ari Shapiro, who sang vocals on the group's fourth album, "Splendor in the Grass. " Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 7 and 10:30 p.m. $78-$209. (323) 850-2000. http://www.laphil.com

The fatal shooting of a California Hells Angels leader during a casino melee with a rival gang Friday night has prompted the mayor of Sparks, Nev., to declare a state of emergency and cancel an annual motorcycle event, authorities said. "The safety and security of the public is our No. 1 priority," Mayor Geno Martini said in a statement Saturday. No suspects have been arrested in the fatal shooting of Jeffrey Pettigrew, 51, president of the San Jose Chapter of the Hells Angels, and the shootings of two members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club during the brawl at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort, authorities said.

A man found shot to death in the back seat of a car on Sunday has been identified as Gustavo Gomez, 31, a sheriff's official said Thursday. Lt. Dan Martini said investigators had difficulty identifying the victim, who had a lengthy arrest record, because he had at least six aliases. Gomez, who had been shot in the head, was found in the 7300 block of Syracuse Street inside a 1985 Toyota that was registered under one of his aliases, Martini said.

These digitally remastered performances of seven concertos and suites--by Handel (2), Albinoni (2), J.C. Bach, Corelli, Martini--were first issued almost 20 years ago. They demonstrate that apparently seamless fluidity and grace, in good recorded sound, that are the trademark of the Andre/Alain partnership.

With royal fever still burning in Los Angeles in the wake of Prince William and wife Catherine's visit, it's natural to ask, "What did the coveted couple drink?" It turns out that mixologist (and Neve Luxury Ice founder) Michel Dozois — who created the artsy cocktail scene for Stark Bar at LACMA — was asked to make cocktails for William and Catherine at the black-tie British Academy of Film and Television Arts gala that took place downtown at the Belasco Theater over the weekend.