If you look for serious cocktails in Amsterdam, Hiding in Plain Sight is where you want to be. Not too far but far enough from the noisy touristic part of the city, this bar is an hidden gem in the city who gave birth to Genever, the ancestor of gin (well gin was not really created in Amsterdam, as the history of our favorite spirit tells, but who cares). The place is quite (at least at the cocktail hour) and beautifully decorated with a touch of 20s style, and when you enter you are welcomed with kindness and served fresh water (this is a nice habit). You can feel from the very first moment that behind the bar there is a vision, and that people here love what they do. The cocktail list is simply perfect, classics made with creativity and new drinking ideas. I went for a classic martini, which is made with Noilly Prat, and with one of the many gins available (ask the bartender to present the latest bottles to you). The cocktail is made close to perfection (we know that perfection in Martinis does not exist), and served in two parts: your drink in a martini glass and a small glass jug leaning on some ice cubes with another part of your drink, so that you get a big martini that never gets warm. I have to say that when I ask a martini I expect to get a martini in a martini glass and nothing else, but the idea is good and the quality of the drink remains unchanged. I tried other variants and some other cocktails, all simply perfect. As I said, you want to visit this bar. Classic Martini Rate: 9.
Martini cocktails, martini bars and martini culture
The Martini Hour 