The arrival of our new range of Dartington crystal glasses set me thinking about my favourite drink for winding down at the end of a busy day. The selection of glasses includes Highballs, Old Fashioned tumblers and various ones for different wines but it was the classic cocktail glass known as the martini that got my tastebuds going.

This is how I make a perfect Vodka Martini. Pour a small amount of dry vermouth (Noilly Prat is my favourite) into the glass and swirl it round the inside of the glass until it's coated. (I wipe it round with my finger but don't tell anybody.) Pour away any excess.

If you're a traditional Martini person, you'll use gin at this stage but I prefer vodka. Not as simple as it sounds because despite the well known fact that vodka is tasteless, texture is important so I favour avoiding the cheaper brands. The vodka has to be very cold so I keep mine in the freezer. Alternatively you can add it to a glass or cocktail shaker of ice and agitate gently (Sorry, Mr Bond, we don't want the ice to break up by shaking it, we just want to chill the spirit). Then strain into the cocktail glass because you don't want to water it down.

For garnish, I like a twist of lemon peel with minimum pith, squeezed to bring out the flavoursome oil. Again I use my hand. That's not what people mean when they ask for a Dirty Martini. That's when you put an olive in the glass then add some olive juice.

Here's my extra tip. To achieve that really cold martini, keep your glass in the fridge.

I've put this and my other favourite cocktail recipes on the Your Life Your Style website. Cheers!