Martini cocktails, martini bars and martini culture
Located close to Campo de' Fiori, one of the most beautiful squares in the world and allegedly the only square in Rome without a church, the Argot is a rather new bar that seems to have been there forever. The entrance is a small corner door without any visible sign: you have to ring the …
One of the best feelings of being a serial barcrawler is when you enter into a bar without any particular expectation and you slowly realise that that bar is a gem. The welcome you get from the bartender, the lights, the music, the athmosphere, the accpmpanying food, and of course the drinks. Even better, when …
The American Colony Hotel is one of the best (and most expensive) hotels of Jerusalem, housed in a quiet and marvellouse old house with a fantastic garden and a unique colonial athmosphere. Apparently, the hotel has hosted serious drinkers such as Lawrence of Arabia, Winston Churchill and Bob Dylan, among others, and has therefore a …
Continue reading "Cellar Bar of the American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem"
What is a martini? Martini drinkers have very different views on this. On one side the purists: no vodka (that will be a vodkatini, or a Kangaroo), precise proportions, straight-flavoured gin, and absolutely no shaking. In a nutshell: for a purist the favourite drink of James bond is NOT a Martini. On the other, the …
Continue reading "Martini Culture: the 1966 Martini standard code"
Confirming the fact that you do not have to search for the best bar since the best bar will find you, the Gin Fizz cocktail bar is exactly in front of the apartment that I rented for a few days this summer in Bilbao. According to local cocktail drinkers I have checked with, this is …
Admittedly one of the best cocktail bars in Jerusalem, the Zuta was a great discovery, for its very relaxed athmosphere combined with a very high quality of food (the bar is annexed to a restaurant that seems veery good), drinks and service. We sat at the bar and had the time to chat with bartender …
In the golden age of Martinis (1950s and 1960s), a number of fantastic gadgets were invented to help preparing Martinis, typically aiming to make sure Martinis were as dry as possible (at that time the quest for the driest possible drink had started already). Some of these gadgets exist still today, such as the Vermouth …
This is the first of a series of posts dedicated to the most legendary martini bars on the planet. No surprise I'll start with what is now called "The Hemingway Bar" at the Ritz Hotel in Place Vendome in Paris. Bar Hemingway Photos At The Ritz Hotel To understand why this bar is a legend, …
Continue reading "Legendary Bars: The Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel, Paris"
American writer James Salter is a Martini hero. He used to enjoyed an exquisitely made martini cocktail every night and, long before he died in 2015 at the age of 90, estimated he had drunk 8,700 martinis in his life. In his book Life is Meals: A Food Lover’s Book of Days, Salter lays out …
The Martini Hour 