A Martini by Any Other Name, Ain't

Readers familiar with BiggerThanYourHead know that I am -- damn my eyes! -- a purist through and through, a position that isn't always fun because it lets one in for a great deal of disappointment.

But in reading the new "Platinum Edition" of Mr. Boston (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., $19.95), the bartender's guide that's been around in many editions since 19…