This is probably the oddest bar I visited, and even if it does not stand out for its Martinis, it deserves a post. This is the story: in 1973 former professor Jim Turner, inspired by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books, created a bar in manila called Hobbit House. OK, what's the news? Well, the bar …
Mattiz Bar, Leuven, Belgium
Who said that Belgium is only beer, beer and beer? The Mattiz Bar wants is the evidence that in the hearth of the country you can get a good cocktail, and is doing its best to prove this. Located in the very centre of Leuven, the bar is the place to go for a drink if …
The Alchemist, Shanghai, Cina
The Alchemist is a bar with a philosophy, stated on their site "Quality ingredients, modern interpretations, avant-garde techniques, respect for the classics whilst creating a path that is our own". And having a philosophy, in these postmodern drinking era, is already a valid reason to pay a visit. Then, once you have ordered your drink, …
Ozone, Hong Kong, China
The race to be the highest bar in the world is open and wild, but I am ready to state that the Ozone is the highest open roof bar in the world (please correct me if I'm wrong, I am ready to invite you to martini...). Opened in March 2011, the Ozone is on the last floor …
M1NT, Shanghai, China
Looking for the best cocktail bar in a city like Shanghai is not an easy job, with the city drinking culture improving faster than you can imagine, and many potential good choices for a proper sip. In the city of records, several bars claim they have the best view, the bigger cocktail menu, the highest …
W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham, the famous British novelist, was a huge fan of Noilly Prat French vermouth for his martinis, and once said: “You can make a sidecar, a gimlet, a white lady, or a gin and bitters, but you cannot make a dry martini.” He also believed that “martinis should always be stirred, not shaken, …
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill, knownk for the quote “I have taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me”, had certainly no fear of the strong stuff. White House staff in Franklin Roosevelt’s administration coined a special term for Churchill visits: “Winston Hours.” Basically, during this time the president and prime minister would drink until …
F. D. Roosvelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd US president, was at his best after a stiff drink, which explains why he carried a “martini kit” on every local and foreign trip, including his martini tray. His favorite was the Dirty Martini: two parts gin, one part vermouth, a soupcon of olive brine, a lemon twist and an …
Luis Buñuel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDKGmW-5nbw Luis Buñuel once stated he never had the ‘bad luck’ to miss his daily cocktail: ‘Where certain things are concerned, I plan ahead’. In his autobiography, he confessed that martinis played a “primordial” role in his life. On the ratio of gin to vermouth he remarked that “connoisseurs who like their martinis very dry suggest simply allowing …
Amnesya Cafè, Verona, Italy
Common sense suggests that in Verona, as in most of Veneto, what you get in a bar is only Spritz and vino bianco. But common sense is there to be challenged, as a drink at the Amnesya Cafe will prove. This bar, in the very centre of Verona a few steps from the wonderful Piazza delle …