We LOVE a good martini here at Hot Dinners, so we do feel pretty well qualified to point you towards some of our favourite places to enjoy a martini around London.
The frozen (and dirty) martini at Larry's
National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Pl, London WC2H 0HE
A much-deserved winner in the 2023 Hot Dinners Awards the McBean martini at Larry's Bar is pre-batched and frozen so there's less time between you deciding you want one and taking your first sip. It's made with vodka from Gattertop in Herefordshire infused with Welsh seaweed and some Highclere Castle Gin. There's just a drop of black olive oil added along with a generous spritz of Asahara Nigori Umeshu.
The classic with a twist martini at Arlington
20 Arlington St, St. James's, London SW1A 1RJ
At the time of writing this pitch perfect martini was also one of the cheapest on this list giving you two reasons to book a table at Jeremy King's Caprice-dupe Arlington to try one. Called the Coastal martini it's made with No 3 London dry gin, Vault's coastal vermouth and grapefruit zest and is served at the perfect temperature.
The 'slurpable' martini at Egerton House Hotel
17-19 Egerton Terrace, London SW3 2BX
This Knightsbridge hotel has made a name for itself off the back of its very good - and very generously sized - martinis. The 'Egerton Slurp' is the name given to the genteel sip you need to take from the glass before you can even lift it from the bar without spillage.
More about Egerton House Hotel
The Martini trolley at The Connaught Bar
16 Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL
One of the truly great places to enjoy a martini in London (it was the first place we made a beeline to after the end of the last lockdown). The tableside trolley service is a theatrical delight and it's fun trying to decide which of their fruit or herbal vermouths you want to try each time. Total joy.
The Mexican martini at KOL Mezcaleria
Lower Ground Floor, 9 Seymour St, London W1H 7BA
You might be wondering what a mezcaleria is doing on this list, but we're here to tell you that the martini being served up in this basement bar underneath Kol in Marylebone is as good as they come. Made with Volcan blanco tequila, Dolin dry vermouth, pine distillate and cucumber it's a pitch-perfect drink even if it doesn't feature the traditional vodka or gin.
The One Sip Martini at Tayer + Elementary
152 Old St, London EC1V 9BW
Trust Tayer + Elementary to come up with a fresh take on the martini. Currently ranked second on the World's 50 Best Bars list, their One Sip Martini is a perfect post-work pick me up. Pre-mixed with sherry and vermouth it's poured out at -10C.
The clubby martini at Le Magritte
The Beaumont, 8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K 6TF
This American bar at The Beaumont serves up an impeccable martini that you can either enjoy in the clubbable bar or outside on the terrace looking out on to Brown Hart Gardens. It doesn't hurt that their bar snacks offering is also very strong.
The straight from the freezer martini at Ever After
8-9 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU
The martinis at this Hoxton Square bar are made with either Boatyard Vodka or Plymouth Gin, a dash of Dolin Dry Vermouth and Kosertae White Tea and poured straight from the freezer. No messing. No waiting around.
Find out more about Ever After
Salvatore Calabrese's martini at the Donovan Bar
Brown's Hotel, 33 Albemarle St, London W1S 4BP
Back in the day, Duke's Bar's reputation as one of London's best places to get a martini (see below) was forged by the redoubtable Salvatore Calabrese running the show in the early 80s. As one of his key projects, he's responsible for the list at the Donovan Bar at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair where the team serve out legendary martinis.
Old school martini at Bellamy's in Mayfair
18 Bruton Pl, London W1J 6LY
It took us way too long to discover the bar at Bellamy's. Hidden down the same mews as The Guinea, this charmingly old-school restaurant and bar serves a wonderful martini that's practically a bargain for Mayfair. Good snackage too.
The two maximum Martini at Dukes Bar
35 St James's Pl, London SW1A 1NY
Every list of London's best martinis includes a reference to the amazing martinis at Dukes in St James which come with a whole lot of tableside theatre. They're delicious and quite lethal, which is why the bar cleverly puts a two-drink limit on them. We've also heard that you can ask for a smaller size, although we can't imagine why you'd want to.
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