THE TOP FIVE...places to drink martinis
(This took extensive research)
I’ve long been a martini gal. For me, it is the quintessence of cocktail chic: simple, elegant, timeless and packing a hefty alcoholic punch than means you barely need to drink anything else. I appreciate the clarity and straightforwardness of a martini: it’s two ingredients (three if you count the ice, four if you include the lemon twist or the olives) with none of your newfangled sugar syrups or lime purees or muddled mixologist’s cinnamon.
In my 20s, I claimed to be a dry vodka martini kind of woman. I think it was mainly the influence of James Bond movies. I remember vividly drinking two dry martinis at the now defunct Atlantic bar (if you’ve watched One Day on Netflix, there’s a scene set there and it took me right back) and almost falling down an entire flight of stairs in my River Island heels but righting myself just in time, both self and martini saved.
But after lockdown (where I swerved towards margaritas - presumably in an attempt to feel as though I were on holiday) I found that my tastes had changed and I’m now firmly an advocate for the Dirty martini. The dirtier the better, in fact. Gimme that brine. Hose it down my gullet. And three fat, green olives better be on that cocktail stick if you know what’s good for you.
Now, I haven’t been able to include one of my favourite places to drink a martini on this list because it happens to be my friends Joan and Michael’s house in West Hollywood. Joan introduced me to two mindblowing concepts: making a martini with black olives (indescribably delicious and lends the alcohol a pleasing purplish tinge) and adding a splash of sparkling water into the mix (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it).
However, if you don’t get an invitation to Joan and Michael’s, here are the other options: