“Great cocktails, no wallies.” A dreamy basement cocktail bar in central London with attentive, knowledgeable staff. The low level lighting is sublime but it means that my photos are a bit rubbish. Just trust me and pay them a visit if you’re anywhere near Hoxton square in London. A classic martini wasn’t even on the menu – they have a wide range of other … Continue reading Happiness Forgets in Hoxton 4/5
The Ten Bells is one of my favourite pubs in the Shoreditch/City of London area. Victims of Jack the Ripper are reputed to have had their last drink in the establishment, whereas today it is frequented by a horde of almost-hipsters and occasional tourists, and it’s not clear which is more frightening. What it lacks in clientele, however, it makes up for with an interesting … Continue reading Upstairs at the Ten Bells of Spittalfields (London) 4/5
Behold, the oddest blog title I have ever produced! But you will see what I’m talking about in the bar review below. I award the above-mentioned cocktail bar 4/5 for its variation on the classic Vesper Martini. Given the strict criteria of my Martini Ratings I could only offer full points upon trying a proper classic martini but if I offer my review in word form … Continue reading The Beet Up Vesper Martini at the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town 4/5
With fast, friendly staff and value for money, this chain of bars is the Burger King of the martini world. When serving a classic martini they get full points for their lemon peel usage. They squeezed a fresh strip of peel over the glass and even rubbed some on the stem to add to the citrus aroma when you drink. I was also offered a … Continue reading London’s Dirty Martini Bar
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
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
Inspired by Japanese bar food, I made some very simple spring onion skewers to accompany martinis. These are a very tasty snack. They are very simple ingredient-wise but can be a little bit fiddly to prepare. Nonetheless they can also be a very striking side dish. You could even serve them on top of a martini as an eye-catching garnish. I chopped the spring onions … Continue reading Japanese-style scallion / spring onion skewers
I told you I like Bar Polskie. Here are some of their vodka delights. Oak and quince flavour. They have a massive range of other nice flavours (traditional ones, not trashy vodka flavours). My favourite drink though, was not vodka, but mead. We also had pickled gherkins, pickled herring, and pierogi to eat on the side. Continue reading Bar Polskie
The Martini Socialist 