Florence Allen
According to The World's 50 Best, The Connaught Bar — part of the hotel of the same name — 'is not a venue, it’s an icon of the bar industry.' And they should know. After all, it's appeared in their list of best bars multiple times, including in the coveted top spot.
While the exact origins of the martini are debated, its earliest form is the Martinez, which appeared in the 1860s in California. The first recipe resembling the modern dry martini was recorded in 1895, but it wasn’t until the 1910s and 20s that it found a foothold in Britain, as American-style cocktails began to sweep through London’s hotel bars.
The Connaught's martinis are served table-side, from a grand trolley, by a waiter who runs you through the various ways you can personalise your drinks. The unique tinctures number lavender, coriander, tonka and even cardamon, among their ranks. Go for Tanqueray no.10 if your preference is for gin and Belvedere if it's for vodka. Eitherway your glass should be ice, ice cold.
You'll find our round-up of the best martinis in London, here, and our handy video for making tips and the recipes, below.
The Connaught Bar martini
Ingredients
- 75ml Tanqueray No10 Gin or Belvedere Vodka
- 15ml dry vermouth mix
- 3 drops bitter
Method
Stir vermouth and spirit over ice and strain into a martini glass coated with bitters of your choice. Garnish with lemon zest or olives.
Belvedere 10's signature martini
Ingredients
- 60ml Belvedere 10
- 15ml dry vermouth
- 1 small pinch sea salt
- 1 drop high quality olive oil
- Lemon zest
Method
Add the first three ingredients to a mixing glass, over cubed ice. Stir for 15-20seconds to chill and dilute.
Strain into a chilled martini glass (I like to swirl more cubed ice around the glass).
Express the oils of a piece of lemon zest across the top of the glass and finish with your drop of olive oil.
James Bond's Vesper martini
Roger Moore downs a martini on the set of a photoshoot in 1968, five years beyond his first Bond film was released.
Plenty have tried to meddle with the martini — with differing results — including James Bond author and former British Naval intelligence officer, Ian Fleming.
Bond is a prolific martini drinker who has perhaps done more for a single drink than any other man — living or made up.
In one book, Bond drinks his martini with a twist; in another, he orders it dirty; and in Casino Royale he orders what we now call a Vesper martini — a mainstay on bar menus around the world, including The Dorchester hotel's.
' “A dry martini,” he said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.” “Oui, monsieur.' “Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?” '
Ingredients
- 60ml gin
- 20ml vodka
- 5ml Lillet Blanc (Kina Lillet is no longer in production)
- Lemon peel
Method
Pour the liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker, over cubed ice. Shake very until until everything is ice-cold and then serve in your glass of choice with a large slice of lemon peel.
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