This is the best martini I’ve had in the Nordics and one of the best overall in my life. The experience was borderline religious and is a prime example of the martini constituting a true ceremony.

If you’re in Stockholm then this is your number one martini destination, for so many reasons. The vibe, the atmosphere and the setting are delightful, but the professionalism and sheer dedication to detailed care in serving the perfect experience was utterly flawless.

I was talking to a bartender in a different venue about good places to drink a martini in town. He mentioned that his favourite bar was Le Hibou which turned out to be a short walk from my next destination so I set off for a cheeky drink to test the waters.

It was a rainy Saturday night as I weaved through the backstreets of Norrmalm and on through a music festival on Kungsträdgården to an almost solemn hush on Arsenalsgatan where the bar is located.

The Building

Le Hibou is part of the Bank Hotel, a former finance house constructed in 1910 in Art Nouveau style. The entrance to the bar is next to the hotel main entrance itself, just a few steps down the street.

Upon passing the watchful doormen, you are greeted with a bright red corridor lined with kentia palms. These are a plant I’ve written about before and for me they seem to be the houseplant most commonly associated with martinis. A good omen.

Proceed to the beautiful, antique elevator. It instantly gives you a feel of old-world reliability and steadfast consistency. Again, another good omen.

Find yourself the right button on the console and head up to the 8th floor. You will begin to notice that this venue enjoys a certain recurring feathered motif…

When this address was a bank, two of its emblems were the squirrel (representing thrift) and the owl (representing wisdom) both of which were meant to showcase the financial prudence of the building’s former occupants.

The owl motif was adopted as a mascot for the hotel and the French word for owl is, of course, hibou. So the bar is named “the owl” in French, and indeed it represents a bright flash of white in the canopy. Night-time wisdom indeed.

The Venue

Emerging from the lift you will find yourself stepping into the sleek, glowing terrace bar of your dreams.

I was warmly greeted with the most charming and attentive of staff, who artfully balanced emotional intelligence and dry wit with razor sharp attention to detail and commitment to care. Theirs is a cool, calm and controlled form of passion.

I was seated by the corner of the gorgeous bar with orchids and ivy ikebana in beautiful ceramics. I was served water immediately and kept topped up with hydration throughout my experience.

Their cocktail menu is creative and stylish but not pretentious or flamboyant. However, I’m only ever after one thing.

I ask if they might be able to prepare me a dry martini and I’m assured that of course, they keep their glasses and No. 3 gin in the freezer for just such a request, which I’m told is often. I was asked all the reassuring questions and requested it with a twist.

The Lagom Martini

The chilly V-shaped glass was placed on a coaster in front of me on the smooth, cool marble bar. The glass was narrower than a more traditional martini but it is honorific in its evocation of the akvavit traditions of the country and you don’t need to worry about it being a smaller pour because…

The bar tender proceeded to fill the glass to the absolute brim with the cold, oily gin.

It was reminiscent of a traditional sake service in a wooden square masu cup (pictured above), when the overflowing drink is treated as a lucky kind of “bonus” for the drinker. In this case, however, the drink did not overflow, but was professionally measured to an exacting level, right to the top.

The freshly paired peel of a juicy lemon was then expressed into and around the glass and then shaped almost magically fast into the perfect coin shape by the bartender who then delicately placed it onto the taut surface of the drink.

A New Martini Ceremony

Absolutely full to the lid, I was then told that the first sip had to be taken with the glass not leaving the counter. You bow down to the glass and sup a healthy taste from the rim. This is a new and almost irreverent martini ceremony to me but I surprise myself by endorsing it completely.

The first sip of a martini can be an almost sacramental experience; imbued with expectation, anticipation and an atmospheric level of localised tension, like electricity before the exciting release of a lightning storm.

Sipping face down from the counter in a public bar, in contrast, instantly disarms the mood. The elixir of quietude has been afforded a giggle. Normal service will resume but you can relax and enjoy the experience having bowed in comedic deference to your spiritual offering.

As well as providing the perfect drink, ideal in every way, the bar has a very tempting snacks menu. I ordered the toast skagen canapés with shrimp and chives. I was tempted by the boquerones but I wanted to go full Swedish and I was not disappointed.

They were possibly the best martini snacks I’ve ever had. After my first sip from the counter and a satisfying bite of one of the croustades I found myself just staring at it all in adoration.

One of the bartenders noticed my state of reverie and added that he actually felt a bit jealous of my situation. I hope he gets to treat himself after hours! The staff here certainly deserve it.

The Extra Mile in Service

Half-way through my drink one of the Viking-esque bartenders fetched me a new glass, fresh and frozen from the freezer. He decanted my drink into it to help keep it cooler for longer.

I’ve never, ever received such thoughtfulness in a martini setting. I wouldn’t even do that for myself at home.

During conversation, it turned out that the staff from Le Hibou had recently got together to collaborate with Dukes Bar, and specifically Alessandro Palazzi, the Hattori Hanzo of the martini world.

It looks like they all had a lot of fun together and the results were on show for me that night. The frozen martini style is so often referred to as “Duke’s style” and it is the good work of Palazzi that has spread this beautifully simple but atomically powerful innovation around the world.

At this stage I haven’t even mentioned what could’ve been the standout highlight of the bar: the view. It was after dark when I got to the venue but otherwise, during the hours of daylight, and especially around sunset, the venue is blessed with views over central Stockholm and some of the picturesque waterways.

As it happens, however, I feel like the drink and customer service at Le Hibou eclipsed the view. While my visit was shortly after midsummer, this is a venue that will warm you through the dark winter months too.

For 195 SEK (around £14, $18 or 17 EUR), the drink represents what I would consider to be extremely good value for money. What an amazing treat. Even if you’re only in Stockholm for a few hours, you need to visit.

The bar is located on the eighth floor of the building next to the Bank Hotel on Arsenalsgatan. Reservations are recommended, especially around the beautiful golden hour of the long sunset but I was seated immediately with no reservation during my visit.

My photos will never do this venue justice, but you can catch a glimpse of some of the beauty on the Bank Hotel website gallery here.

Otherwise, this is the sort of place you wish you could teleport to in an instant for a perfect serving of the silver bullet. Thank you to the brilliant bar tenders for making it so special.

Skål!