Martini cocktails, martini bars and martini culture
"Kissa bars" originated in Japan in the 20s, as places where to go, get a drink and listen to jazz music, at the time when imported jazz records were way to expensive for ordinary people. In a very Japanese fashion, these minimalist bars prioritized the experience of listening to music in intimate and peaceful spaces, …
After a few years visiting bars, I have developed a sort of an instinct: when I enter a bar, especially if I am alone, I can tell whether that will be a memorable evening or not. It has to do with the energy in the place, the "partner in crime" smile of the bartender, the …
If it is true (and I believe it is) that quality of life is mostly about expectations, it must not be easy for a bar such as the Wax On to live up to its short history. Voted 2023 “Best New Bar of the Year” and 2024 “Bar of the Year – Germany” at the …
Let's start from this: the Marlene Bar in Chisnau, apart from being most probably the best place in town for good drinks, is one of the best bars I vistited EVER (and you know I am normally quite difficult to impress...). The place is so pleasant in many ways that, after a few cocktails, it …
Piumazzo is a tiny village between Modena and Bologna: a church, a bunch of houses and fields all around. In such a place one would expect the typical countryside bar, in Italian "il bar di paese", with a few old fellows sipping their Camparis or bianchetto (white wine). On the contrary, in Piumazzo something unusual …
Pharmarium is, according to the Google oracle, one of the best cocktail bars in Stockholm. I tried it, and it is actually very true. Placed in a small square in Gamla Stan (old town) in front of the Nobel Museum, the bar occupies the same building where once stood Stockholm’s first pharmacy, opened in 1575. The …
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"
The Martini Hour 