Someone described me as a mixologist the other day, which I refuted. Mixologists are creative drinks inventors who craft new, tantalising tastes through their intimate knowledge of flavour, aromatics, visual appeal and chemistry. I’m just a belligerent lush who merely insists on keeping ones gin and martini glasses in the freezer. However, whilst trying to brew an earl grey infused gin, I caught myself creating … Continue reading Ceci ne pas un Mixologiste
‘Dishoom’ is a traditional Bollywood onomatopoeic word (like ‘Kapow!’) used to express the noise of someone getting punched or slapped in an old film or comic book. In London, Dishoom Shoreditch is an eatery inspired by Mumbai cafe culture. It is easily identified by the queue outside its doors most evenings. It gets points for its evocative, eccentric decor, attentive service and excellent array of … Continue reading Dishoom Packs a Punch
Roka: 4/5 Roka is a lovely Japanese bar/restaurant with a couple of branches in London. I’m not here to review the food, I’m here to review the martini. They had a beautiful array of sakes, shochu and cocktails but with a very slight nudge their martinis could make this place out of this world: They don’t keep the gin/vodka and glasses in the freezer. That’s … Continue reading Roka Bar could rock my world with one small adjustment: 4/5
Canada is one of Britain’s closest allies. It was only a matter of time before I wrote about the country. Have you ever heard of Five Eyes? It’s an intelligence term. I will let someone else give you the details, or you can read about it here. It’s basically an intelligence-sharing arrangement between five key countries – the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United … Continue reading The Canadian Martini
I have come up with a simple rating system for martini service which can be applied around the world. Using the following indicators I can assign a venue with a 0-15 rating on how good it’s martini service is. 15 = sublime 0 = devastatingly atrocious Then divide by three for a very simple 0-5 scale. I use the following six categories: Temperature, the use … Continue reading Martini Ratings
Get ready for winter with this ice-cold Japanese-Russian-British infusion. If Moscow cuts off Europe’s gas supplies this is how to stay warm! I love gari (Japanese pickled ginger) and wanted to incorporate it into a drink for ages. Similar to making Limoncello the aim is to infuse clear spirit and add it to a classic martini. Take 1 small pile of gari slices (as in … Continue reading The Japanese Pickled Ginger Martini
This is very simple and follows the same method as most of the earlier fruit martinis on the blog. Take a tin of pineapple and pour 3 measures of the syrup into a chilled martini glass. Add a dash or vermouth (or to taste). Add 3-4 measures of gin or vodka. Garnish the glass with a piece of pineapple. Continue reading The Pineapple Martini
This one goes by many names… The Octopus-tini The Octopussy Martini The Loch Ness Monstini The Nautilus-tini The Maritime Martini The Tako-tini (tako no matini / タコのマティーニ) And finally, the Spectre Martini Add squid ink and octopus tentacle soaked in balsamic vinegar to make an unusual variation of a dirty martini and Le Jacques Coustini. Get yourself some sea legs by drinking one … Continue reading The Squid Ink and Octopus Martini
I thought I would collate several images I’ve taken of different martinis over recent months. A classic. Another classic. An Earl Grey martini. A Peartini. A Spicy Brazilian. The Raitini. The camomile tea martini. There are quite a few tea martinis. The rosemary martini. Green tea and lemon foam martini. The Appletini. The jasmine martini. Margarita martinis. A dirty martini. The Langoustini. More Langoustini and … Continue reading Assortment
Yes, you read that correctly. This is another slight variation on a classic martini. Just before you pour the martini, smudge a small amount of Worcestershire sauce into the glass. It adds a slightly savoury tinge to the drink which works quite well, especially if you’re looking to whet the appetite for a meal. Below is a suggestion: Marinade a good steak at room temperature … Continue reading Worcestershire Sauce Martini
