The Martini isn’t having a comeback. It’s not possible to have one when you never left.
It’s never been more diverse, however. Oyster shells, tomato water, mezcal, whiskey, freezer pours, filthy brines, tiny serves, grand trolleys. If it can be chilled, sharpened, and poured into a glass, somebody has probably tried to call it a Martini.
Once the preserve of grand hotel bars, members’ clubs, and people who use the phrase “usual table” without blinking, the Martini has properly escaped into the wild. It now sits proudly at the centre of restaurant drinking culture, with dedicated Martini menus popping up across London, from the polished theatre of the Connaught Bar’s tableside trolley to beloved old spit and sawdust haunts.
National Martini Day was on 19 June, but there’s never a bad time to indulge. Where do you drink? Let us know in the comments below.
Where do you go for your Martini?
Where Does The Trade Drink A Martini? My Hotspots
Here are the places I like to go.
For the old school drinker: The Seven Stars, Holborn, London
A bar that opened in 1602, survived the Great Fire of London, and charms guests from far and wide, The Seven Stars presents Roxy’s Perfect Martini (£14). Named for legendary publican Roxy Beaujolais, its three slugs of Tanqueray Gin or Stoli Vodka from the freezer (no ice dilution here), a teaspoon of Noilly Prat vermouth, and your preference of an olive, pearl onion, or lemon twist. It’s simple, it’s sublime, and I want one right now.
For the snacker: Swift, Shoreditch, London
There are three Swift locations, but you already know that because everybody’s been to Swift. The Shoreditch location has turned things up a notch recently by serving three loaded crisp plates alongside three savoury Martinis made with Ford’s Gin or Gin Mare. The Martini flight + a loaded crisps is £14 during happy hour (6pm) and you have a choice of Spanish (potato crisps, serrano ham, manchego, olives, guindillas & aioli), Italian (potato crisps, buratta, chilli flakes, melon salsa & prosciutto), and British (potato crisps, cheddar cheese,Branston pickle & pickled onions). Because a savoury Martini deserves a savoury snack.
The Cretan clay vessels are a signature at Kamara Bar
The new menu hunter: Kamara, Soho, London
Kamara, the Eastern Mediterranean-inspired bar on Poland Street, has a new menu. We all love a new menu, right? The bar is all about in-house macerations, fermentations, and distillations using Cretan clay vessels. The porous structure of the clay enables controlled micro-oxidation, which brings mineral character and texture to the final drinks. And looks cool. The Tomato + Cucumber Martini (£13) combines Belvedere Vodka, single-variety tsipouro, pickled cucumber, tomato water, Cornish sea salt, bell peppers and caper leaf. It’s on the savoury side, but it’s not just another Dirty Martini and best of all, it’s delicious.
The standard: Dukes Bar, Mayfair, London
The ultra dry Dry Martini master is Alessandro Palazzi from Dukes Bar, Dukes Hotel, Mayfair. The Dukes Bar Martini (£27.50) is served tableside from its genuinely iconic drink trolley, featuring frozen spirits and glasses with no added ice. A few drops of vermouth are swirled into a frozen glass and discarded onto the carpet. Then 125ml of ice-cold gin or vodka is waterfalled in, no shake, no stir. Just a garnish of squeezed Amalfi Coast organic lemon zest to release the oils and a strict limit of two martinis per guest. The legendary Dukes Bar Martini is served.
But you already know this. Not that there’s anything wrong with the classics. Just ask Nick Morgan. But let’s look beyond to some of bars that trade friends of ours suggested.
A spicier take on the Martini is the Habanero
For the firestarters: A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Dalston, London
East London cult late-night cocktail destination A Bar with Shapes for a Name is a World’s 50 Best Bars regular and its approach to the Martini reflects why. Its Habanero (£14) is a Martini for the experimental type, distilled with yellow habanero peppers before being lightly seasoned with sugar and salt to deliver all the flavour of the chilli without the heat. It’s served at -10°C to make it crisper than Gary Lineker’s favourite Walkers crisp on a very cold morning indeed.
Make it sustainable: Fallow, St James’s, London
Fallow’s Oyster Shell Martini (£17) is made according to the restaurant’s no-waste ethos. Surplus oyster shells are infused into Belvedere Vodka for two weeks before being shaken with vermouth, verjus cordial and jalapeño brine. If you like your Martini savoury, saline, and sustainable then this is for you.
Who has tried the Oyster Shell Martini?
Make it classy: Scarfes Bar, London
High Society (£22) layers in tonka-infused vermouth on top of The Botanist Gin then adds a touch of Manzanilla sherry for that crisp, lightly savoury snap. Sherry is a lovely little Martini modifier.
For Pierce Brosnan Bond vibes: The Sun Tavern, Bethnal Green, London
The East London Martini Map has many a great stop, but my favourite is The Sun Tavern. Here you can get the Umbrella Vesper (£7), a combo of Grey Goose Vodka, Boatyard Gin, Kina L’Aero, and Vichy Catalan. It’s incredibly reasonably priced, fucking delicious (not usually my style too) and delivers a dose of Bond, but in an Irish pub, very much Pierce Brosnan in vibe.
One for the road: Little Mercies, Broadway Parade, London
A mighty little mezcal-based mini, Little Mercies makes its Artichoke Martini (£7) with Globe Artichoke, Lost Explorer Mezcal, Noilly Prat, and Benzoin. It’s a cheap, cheerful, creative drop that pairs excellently with bar snacks. Perfect for a late night pit stop.
Ever had sherry in a Martini? Try High Society
The Best Martinis Outside London?
The following got votes for the best beyond London. What do you reckon?
One for the explorer: The Sidecar, Dublin
The Sidecar’s Martini Trolley (circa €20-24 depending on order) prepares a ‘tail to your taste, right in front of you. Options include Coffee, Peach & Basil, Pickled, and Oyster & Cacao. Swapping tradition for personalisation, this is a more playful take on the classic that doesn’t sacrifice quality on the altar of spectacle.
If you like a complete left turn: Saikindō, Abu Dhabi
A Lover’s Holiday (AED $60 – circa £12) combines Cognac, Cointreau and dry Mancino Secco Vermouth lychee, before being topped with a light Champagne foam. Bet you’ve never had a Martini like that before. Stretches the definition and then some. Bet you want to try it though, don’t ya?
Saikindō presents A Lover’s Holiday
Another left turn: Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City, Mexico
In Mexico City, Best Bar winner Handshake Speakeasy makes a Matcha Martini (M$700 – circa £30) to take the drink somewhere greener and stranger. It’s built on Vólcan de mi Tierra X.A. Tequila, Ilegal Mezcal, matcha tea, Cocchi Americano, coconut, Creme de Menthe. The key is that it’s not matcha shoved into a cocktail for the colour.
For the drinks nerds: Paradiso, Barcelona, Spain
The Supercool Martini (€15) on paper is Tanqueray Ten distilled with fennel and oregano, dry Mancino Vermouth, mustard seed and Gordal olive. Paradiso owner Giacomo Giannotti says it took over 8,000 attempts over the course of five months to perfect the process of using supercooled water poured over a frozen olive, forming an icy stalagmite in an oversized Nick & Nora. Then comes the vermouth, macerated with mustard seeds and Gordal olives, atomised over the top. Then comes gin infused with fennel and oregano, stirred into the drink for a crisp, aromatic, savoury finish.
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