Martini cocktails, martini bars and martini culture
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 …
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, …
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 …
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, 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, …
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, so much that White House staff during Roosevelt’s administration coined a special term for Churchill visits: “Winston Hours.” Basically, during this time the president and prime minister would …
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 …
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 …
Finding a good bar in Porto is not hard, the city on the Douro being very lively until late night. Nevertheless, to get a good cocktail in on of these bars where you have the feeling that you might never leave can take some investigations. Well, I found one: the Bar Baixa, in the Galeria …
Some bars are landmarks in history. For example, since 1923 the bar of the Copacabana Palace - one of the first hotels built on the beach of Copacabana - has been serving drinks to the world jet set. Today you have two choices: the Bar de Copas, a poshy bar where the rich Cariocas go to …
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The Martini Hour 