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.
