The martini has firmly reclaimed its crown in London’s bars, with the classic cocktail increasingly the go-to order across town. The mini-martini (the mar-teeny), first having risen to prominence in 2022, is currently en vogue: a couple of sips, nothing too strong. Drinking to excess is apparently on its way out.
That’s the martini’s problem: even one can be a head-clearer. As such, rarely are they recommended as a summer drink — they can be too much in the heat; one solid, icy, thwack of booze.
It’s not an entirely justified reputation, however. Get creative and a martini can be a soft, summery thing — still bracing, but with light notes that mean one had out in the sun is a glorious thing. Here, Flavio Carvalho of the Covent Garden Hotel, shares two of his favourites, built for when the temperatures climb.
Rose martini
A refined and romantic update on a classic, this cocktail pairs the aromatic Salcombe Rosé Gin with a whisper of Regal Rogue Wild Rosé and is finished with a twist of grapefruit.
Ingredients
- 60ml Salcombe Rosé Gin
- 5ml Regal Rogue Wild Rose Vermouth
- Grapefruit peel, to garnish
Method
- Begin by chilling your martini glass – either in the freezer or by filling with ice and water for a few minutes.
- Lightly mist or rinse out the martini glass with the vermouth to coat the inside.
- In a mixing glass or shaker, pour in the gin. Fill with ice and stir until the drink is ice cold (this should take about 30 seconds).
- Strain into your chilled vermouth-tinted martini glass.
- Finish by squeezing the rind of the grapefruit peel over the cocktail and use as a garnish.
Samurai
East meets West in this bold and beautifully balanced cocktail. Haku Japanese Gin blends effortlessly with cool cucumber, fresh mint and a subtle flicker of wasabi heat.
Ingredients
- 40ml Haku Gin
- 30ml fresh cucumber juice
- 20ml fresh lemon juice
- 10ml sugar syrup
- A pea sized squeeze of wasabi paste
- 3 fresh mint leaves
- Dried seaweed, to garnish
Method
- Add the gin, cucumber juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup, wasabi paste and mint leaves to a shaker.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for until icy cold and lightly frothy.
- Double strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with a crisp sheet of dried seaweed, or crumble a little over the top.
A full martini menu can be found at the Covent Garden Hotel, 10 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9HB. For more information, visit firmdalehotels.com
