The Martini has always had better PR than most cocktails. James Bond made it cinematic, Dorothy Parker made it lethal, and generations of drinkers have treated it less like a cocktail and more like a personality test. It is the drink of sharp suits, sharper tongues and evenings that begin with “just one” before quietly losing all respect for tomorrow.
For National Martini Day on 19 June, the classic serve is being pulled in every direction. Some bars are keeping it crisp and elegant. Others are adding kelp, Marmite, caviar, seaweed vodka, agave, blue cheese olives and, in one particularly committed case, chips. Bond may have wanted his “shaken, not stirred,” but Britain’s best bars are currently far more interested in stirred, smoked, spiced, frozen, briny and occasionally brutal.
Jerez Martini keeps things sleek but not sleepy. Made with sherry, vodka and dry vermouth, then finished From Belgravia to Borough, Mayfair to the Highlands, these are the Martini serves worth leaving the house for.
Bar Flor, Belgravia
At Bar Flor, the with an olive, it is the sort of drink that knows exactly what it is doing. The sherry brings a quiet savoury depth, the vodka keeps it clean, and the vermouth does the grown-up work in the background. A very polished start.
@bar__flor
wildflowersrestaurant.co.uk
Wildflowers, Belgravia
Wildflowers takes the Martini somewhere more brooding with the Violetta, made with Cynar, pisco and gordal olive brine. It sounds like a drink ordered by someone with excellent shoes and complicated stories. The bitterness of Cynar, the lift of pisco and the salty hit of olive brine make this one for anyone who likes their Martini with a little darkness around the edges. Dorothy Parker famously warned: “I like to have a martini, two at the very most.” This feels very much like the one that tests that theory.
@wildflowers.restaurant
wildflowersrestaurant.co.uk
Pyro, Borough
For those who prefer their Martini with a softer landing, Pyro’s Lychee Martini brings vodka, lychee, St Germain and dry vermouth together in a glass that feels fragrant, glossy and dangerously easy to drink. It is floral without being flimsy, sweet without tipping into syrup, and exactly the kind of cocktail that makes “just one” feel like a lie before it has even left your mouth.
@pyrorestaurant
pyrorestaurant.co.uk
Sprout Bar, Earl’s Court
The Marmitini at Sprout Bar is as divisive as its name suggests, which is exactly the point. Made with Sprout Marmite, Boatyard Vodka, dry vermouth and Cornish Manuka tea, then served with a cracker, Marmite gel and coriander, it is part cocktail, part dare, part snack. Martini purists may clutch their pearls. Everyone else will be talking about it.
@sprout.bar
miirohotels.com/templetongarden/eat-and-drink/sprout
Sune, Hackney
At Sune, the House Martini is proof that classic does not mean casual. Built as a 5:1 gin Martini with No.3 Gin and Cocchi Americano, it is deliberately precise without making a grand performance of itself. No.3 brings the old school London dry backbone, all citrus, spice and proper juniper, while its 46 percent ABV means the drink can be stirred until properly icy without losing its shape. Cocchi Americano adds body, quinine led complexity and just enough lift to stop the whole thing from becoming, frankly, a very cold glass of gin. Finished with a twist and served in a frozen glass, it is clean, bracing and quietly obsessive in the best possible way. A Martini for people who notice the details.
@restosune
sune.restaurant
Brutes of Mayfair, Mayfair
At Brutes of Mayfair, the Martini sits right at the centre of the menu. Guests can build their own serve using a dedicated Martini card, choosing their base spirit, style and garnish. Dry, wet, dirty and brutal are all on the table, with options including blue cheese olives, gildas and, fabulously, pickled onion Monster Munch. This is not so much ordering a Martini as designing your own evening’s personality.
@brutesofmayfair
brutesofmayfair.com
Side Hustle, Covent Garden
At Side Hustle, the Martini gets an agave led makeover, which feels entirely right for a bar that knows how to make mischief look polished. The line up spans Classic, Dirty and Spicy serves, with combinations including Siete Misterios Doba Yej, Tapatio Blanco and Dolin Blanc, a Dirty Martini with Ocho Blanco, Ambrato, Fino Sherry and house olive brine, and a Spicy version with Vago Elote, Patrón Reposado, Nixta, Dolin Blanc and Thai bird’s chilli. It is sharp, modern and not remotely interested in being your grandfather’s Martini.
@sidehustlelondon
hilton.com/en/hotels/lonnmnd-nomad-london/dining/side-hustle
Twenty8 NoMad, Covent Garden
Twenty8 NoMad understands that sometimes a Martini is a prelude, and sometimes it is the whole plot. The menu offers both mini and traditional serves, from a Marguerite, also known as a 50/50 Martini, to a Dry Martini made with vodka or London Dry Gin. The Twenty8 Martini takes things dirty, mixing Grey Goose Vodka, dry vermouth and smoked Gordal olive brine, finished with blue cheese olives. Elegant, salty and just theatrical enough, it is a very good argument for staying for another round.
@twenty8_nomad
hilton.com/en/hotels/lonnmnd-nomad-london/dining/twenty8-nomad
Jamavar, Mayfair
At Jamavar, the Kokum Martini comes from the Collector’s Cabinet and wears its luxury lightly. Made with Ki No Bi Dry Gin, spiced kokum syrup, St Germain, Grand Marnier, blueberry and tamarind, it takes the Martini into richer, more aromatic territory. Fruity, spiced and deeply polished, it is less about icy minimalism and more about silk, depth and a little Mayfair drama. “One more” suddenly feels less like a bad idea and more like a cultural obligation.
@jamavarlondon
jamavarrestaurants.com
Gorse, Cardiff
At Gorse in Cardiff, the House Martini looks to the coast, combining Dyfi Pollination Gin, Still Wild Vermouth and kelp. The result is clean, saline and quietly transportive, with the kelp adding a whisper of the sea rather than a shout. It feels thoughtful, rooted and beautifully Welsh, proof that a Martini can be local without losing its polish.
@gorserestaurant
gorserestaurant.co.uk
Brett, Glasgow
Brett’s Smoked Olive Oil Martini brings together Tanqueray Gin and Cocchi Americano Vermouth for a serve with silk and smoke. Olive oil gives the drink texture, smoke adds mood, and the whole thing feels like the Martini has slipped into something a little more dangerous. Glasgow, unsurprisingly, is not playing small.
@brett.restaurant
brettrestaurant.co.uk
The Clarence, Glasgow
The Clarence Oyster Martini is a coastal flex in liquid form. Made with Grey Goose Vodka or Isle of Harris Gin, vermouth and sugar kelp, it is bracing, mineral and smartly savoury. The oyster influence gives it that briny, just off the water feeling, ideal for anyone who thinks a Martini should taste like the sea breeze had a very chic appointment.
@theclarenceglasgow
theclarenceglasgow.co.uk
Newhall Mains, The Highlands
In the Highlands, Newhall Mains serves an Umami Martini with seaweed vodka, Akashi Tai Sake, bitters and gherkin. It is savoury, precise and quietly eccentric, taking the Martini into deeper, more mineral territory. The sake adds softness, the seaweed vodka brings salinity, and the gherkin gives it a wicked little wink at the end.
@newhallmains
newhall-mains.com
The Caravan Shop, Glasgow
The Caravan Shop martini comes with the option of chips and caviar, which frankly feels like the sort of confidence more menus should have. It is indulgent, funny, glamorous and slightly ridiculous in the best possible way. A Martini with caviar is already a mood. A Martini with chips and caviar is a full personality. Dorothy Parker may have advised stopping at two, but she did not mention what happens when fries and caviar get involved.
@the_caravan_shop
caravanshopglasgow.co.uk
The Lobby at The Hoxton, Edinburgh
The Hoxton keeps things crisp with a frozen classic, served with either Grey Goose Vodka or Bombay Sapphire Gin. Mini Martinis are also available, which is either very sensible or an excellent way to pretend restraint is happening. Cold, clean and low on fuss, this is the Martini for traditionalists who still appreciate a good hotel bar moment.
@thehoxtonhotel
thehoxton.com/edinburgh
Wild Card: The Lucky Pig, Fitzrovia
For anyone who hears “Martini” and immediately thinks “but make it caffeinated and slightly unhinged,” The Lucky Pig’s Black Forest Espresso Martini enters the chat. Made with Black Cow Vodka, espresso coffee, Mr Black cold brew coffee liqueur, Disaronno Amaretto, cherry syrup and Marie Brizard Cacao Brun Liqueur, it is rich, glossy and absolutely not pretending to be austere. Garnished with roasted coffee beans, it lands somewhere between after dinner cocktail, dessert and the kind of drink that convinces you you are still going out after dinner. Not classic, no. But neither is texting your ex after two Martinis, and somehow that still happens.
@theluckypigcocktailbar
theluckypig.co.uk
