“I’m stuffed – I had a jar of olives,” Mad Men’s Roger Sterling once quipped, explaining away one of many meals comprised entirely of vodka martinis. The ad man’s liquid lunches may not have been nutritious or balanced, but they were pretty par for the course in upscale dining rooms in 1960s Manhattan.
Spend enough time in many of London’s restaurants and bars these days and you too, might start to feel a little like Sterling. Or, as I’d prefer, Samantha Jones. Of course, the martini never went away, but London’s current obsession with the cocktail does border on a renaissance. At Ellie’s Bar in Dalston – which famously hosted Charli xcx’s town hall wedding reception – you can get one for £8. The new Lebanese restaurant KINZ in Notting Hill serves them with a sumac twist. The martinis at Rita’s in Soho are teeny tiny and best enjoyed with a side of piping hot, salty French fries.
.jpg)
Addie Chinn
Which brings me to a rainy weeknight in Mayfair. I’m perched at the counter of W1’s hot new rezzy (judging by the buzz in here), nursing an ice-cold dirty vodka martini, a plate of gildas and a bowl of Monster Munch. Yes, I refer to the pickled onion crisps that were a staple of the snack cupboard when I was growing up. At Brutes of Mayfair, the childhood faves are served on the side of some extremely grown-up cocktails.
There are just 12 seats at the bar, so it’s intimate enough to spy on what everyone else is ordering. To my left, two patrons are working through loaded crisps topped with slivers of Parma ham and slices of peperoncino. To my right, somebody is using potato chips to scoop up a small mountain of caviar.
Bartenders in custom Cad & the Dandy jackets shake, stir and chat their way through the evening as jazz and soul anthems drift from the speakers. The oak-panelled interiors borrow from sporting clubs, Savile Row tailors and classic cocktail bars, with racing-green leather banquettes and vintage Persian rugs. Upon arrival, guests are presented with a card and a list of check boxes to indicate their martini preferences, from spirit to garnish to style of serve. It sounds gimmicky, but I’d argue it’s useful, after all, a martini can be many things. Wet, dry, dirty, French, shaken or stirred, served with a twist or enough olives to account for one of your five a day. Its protean nature is all part of the appeal.
