It’s the cocktail you know how to make without even trying it. The one you see glistening on top of glitzy bars in countless films, TV shows, and music videos. The one associated with everyone from Gatsby and Bond to Don Draper and Lucille Bluth to such a degree that it’s practically a character in its own right. It can be wet, dry, clean, or dirty. It is shaken and not stirred: it is, of course, the martini.
For whatever reason, the not-so-humble Hollywood tipple has undergone a somewhat radical transformation in recent years. For a while, it was known as a bit of an elderly choice, a drink favoured at lunchtime by nostalgic boomers and the Queen. But then something shifted and the martini was suddenly everywhere, with London bars reporting a surge in demand as the classic cocktail began infiltrating our Instagram feeds and bar menus in myriad variations.
On TikTok, there are more than 183,000 posts under #martini showcasing people making their own drinks at home. Some are classic gin or vodka martinis; others are fruit-based, pornstar, or espresso martinis. Quirkier bases range from tomatoes, blueberries, and pickles to matcha, chocolate, and lychee. A few are inspired by celebrities (Kris Jenner martini, anyone?), literary icons (the Hemingway martini), and others are, quite frankly, a little too creative: this one has a literal chicken wing in it — it's made using chicken broth, olives, mayo (I know) and then the wing is used as a garnish.
At Selfridges, sales of pre-mixed version of the martini have surged by 200 per cent in the last year, with the retailer naming the martini as one of its SS25 “obsessions”, creating a bespoke martini window display at its Oxford Street flagship. Meanwhile, bars across London have noticed a major uptick in orders. Take the Tomatini at La Petite Maison, a now-iconic cocktail at the premium Mayfair dining destination that has been spotted in the hands of everyone from Charli XCX to Beyoncé.
“Light, savoury, and effortlessly sippable, it’s made with fresh tomatoes, Ketel One vodka, white balsamic, and a pinch of salt and pepper,” explains Tibor Krascsenics, Group Beverage Director at La Petite Maison. “We’ve seen a clear rise in martini orders across our bars. Guests are more confident and precise, often asking for very dry vodka or gin martinis with a twist. Dirty martinis remain popular, It’s no longer an intimidating drink – it’s stylish, personal, and definitely in fashion.”
At Qualino’s, where more guests are ordering martinis than ever before, the design of the drink has evolved and become more expansive over time. “We’ve had some fun with them,” says Jonathan Ecca, bar manager at the St James restaurant. “One of our favourites was the Sakura Martini, inspired by Japanese flavours. We also tried an Asparagus Martini made with Japanese vodka, homemade asparagus vermouth and a pickled white asparagus garnish to finish. It sounds wild, but it worked.”
Other establishments favour more classic varieties. “People love simplicity; they don’t want to over-complicate drinks with too many ingredients that take too long to make,” says Martin Kuczmarski, founder of The Dover, where martinis are one of the restaurant’s staples; around 90 per cent of its diners order one, usually with vodka. “A martini is beautiful to look at, sophisticated, and gives a sense of occasion, showing how people are moving away from overly complicated cocktails and rediscovering the beauty of minimalism,” adds Kuczmarski. “One of the missions of The Dover was to bring back many traditional, and classic elements of hospitality. I didn’t want to follow any trends, and the martini is one of the simplest cocktails that exist. But like with anything simple, it is one of the hardest things to execute well.”
The perfect martini requires a combination of high-quality ingredients, premium glassware, balance, the appropriate garnish according to the drinker’s tastes, and of course, it must also be ice cold. Few know this quite like Alessandro Palazzi, bar manager at Dukes Bar in London, which is arguably the UK’s leading martini destination thanks to its popularity among celebrities, royals, and mythic social media presence. Frequented by Ian Fleming himself and reportedly the place where Bond’s famous line “shaken, not stirred” was inspired, Dukes has been serving up its signature martinis since 1908, bringing them out on its famous trolley service, adding a theatrical element to the whole experience.
“Lots of people are coming in from social media these days,” says Palazzi, who has been working at Dukes for 18 years, serving everyone from Stanley Tucci to Paul Feig, a close friend who wound up casting the bartender for a cameo in his latest film, Another Simple Favour, in which martinis play a lead role – Dukes is mentioned in the first film by Blake Lively’s character. There’s almost always a queue to get into Dukes, which now serves between 300 and 400 martinis a day. “We spot the social media people right away because as soon as you arrive with the trolley, they take a camera out without asking,” adds Palazzi. “That bothers me a lot.”
We spot the social media people right away because as soon as you arrive with the trolley, they take a camera out without asking
The philosophy at Dukes is simple: to inspire others to make their own martinis at home, and to create a warm, discrete environment where the drinks can be sipped and savoured slowly. Famously, the bar won’t serve customers more than two martinis each. “There are five shots of pure alcohol in each glass,” explains Palazzi. “That combined with the fact that frozen alcohol has a delayed reaction means you can’t digest it right away. So then it stays inside you and you have an explosion if you drink very quickly. Our intention is not to make you drunk but to offer an experience.”
Despite this logical and sensible guidance, the influx of attention on Dukes recently has meant that a few people try to come in and subvert it, trying their luck to order a third martini. “I call them the imbeciles,” says Palazzi. “Usually they’re classic businessmen and city boys who think they have something to prove and can handle more than two martinis.” This kind of bravado will get you nowhere at Dukes, or anywhere else for that matter.
It’s unclear where the sudden rush for the martini came from. Palazzi suspects it began during the pandemic: “A lot of us were at home, drinking cocktails, or watching videos of celebrities making them,” he says. Dukes was actively posting clips during that time, too, while celebrities like Tucci regularly went viral for his DIY cocktail making videos on Instagram.
But there’s also something to be said with the martini’s rise and a wider shift in alcohol consumption more generally. Consider the mini martini, an increasingly popular variation of the drink that is, obviously, smaller and more potent. “We also serve a lot of mini martinis,” says Krascenics. “They’re playful one-sip versions that let guests explore multiple styles, from classics to vegetal twists like beetroot or caperberry. It’s our way of making the martini both elegant and fun.” You can now find these minute variations across London, with popular spots like Rita’s, Dishoom, and the Blue Bar at the Berkely, all downsizing their drinks to cater to more moderation-concerned clientele.
“I think it ties into this wider shift we're seeing, people are drinking less, but drinking better,” explains Agustina Basilico Miara, beverage manager at Toklas. “They’re looking for quality over quantity, and the martini, when made well, is the perfect example of that. It’s refined, simple, and all about balance and care.” Indeed it is – just don’t drink too many of them at once.
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