Martinis Around the World

The May/June 2025 issue celebrates the Martini in all its glorious forms. There are myriad ways to enjoy the classic, and you can even level up your Martini experience at home with a custom Martini cart. But few experiences are as satisfying as sipping a well-made Martini at a bar that does it just right, and there’s never been a better time to find masterful classics and creative twists. We tapped industry pros to find out about their favorite spots around the world for Martinis—and we share a few of our own—from historic watering holes to innovative cocktail bars.

International

Bangkok: Vesper

Simon Ford, founder of Fords Gin, says if you’re visiting Bangkok, a stop at Vesper is a must. The bar—headed by Tom Hearn, formerly of The American Bar at the Savoy, and Sine Ployparima Suripat—offers elevated variations on classics as well as creative originals like the Whiskey Coke Float with house cola, Guinness, and condensed milk ice cream. But the house cocktail, the Vesper Martini, is naturally the one to start with. Choose from a traditional Vesper, served from the freezer à la Dukes Bar London, or thumb through the bar’s Vesper Bible for their many twists on the classic.

Barcelona: Boadas Coctelería

This historic neighborhood bar, opened in 1933 on the touristy Las Ramblas, boasts a specific claim to fame. Not only were Picasso and Hemingway regular patrons but, according to Ford, Boadas is home of the thrown cocktail. “The throwing method aerates the Martini without upsetting the texture, giving guests the best of both worlds between a shaken or stirred Martini,” says Ford. “It’s also fun to watch the process as you wait for your Martini to arrive.”

Paradiso

When in Barcelona, seek out this award-winning, speakeasy-inspired bar located through the freezer door of an El Born neighborhood pastrami shop. Even though the bar is known for their innovative and elaborate original cocktails, Martini maven Julie Reiner’s go-to is the Supercool Martini made with gin distilled with fennel and oregano. “The water that is poured slightly frozen, the frozen Tanqueray 10—it is a must for me with every trip to Barcelona!” she says.

Berlin: Wax On

Ford finds Wax On’s “punk rock” attitude massively appealing. This, mixed with their innovative cocktail style, makes for next-level drinks that can be enjoyed by the savvy and the novice alike. “What I love about their approach is that it comes with an insane amount of thought and knowledge,” he says. “And it also comes without pretension.” Case in point: Their seasonal freezer Martini is the most experimental one on Ford’s list of world favorites. Made with gin, vermouth, tarragon, cucumber eau de vie, and raspberry hydrosol (a distillate), “It’s ridiculously good, and the extra dimensions of flavor make so much more sense when you are sitting in this bar,” he says.

Hong Kong: Argo

Deciding what to drink at Argo, one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars located in the Four Seasons Hong Kong, may be a difficult endeavor considering the wealth of intriguing options. The pro move is ordering Argo’s house Martini to sip while you ponder what to order next. They use freezer-cold gin—the bar’s own made in collaboration with Australia’s Never Never Distilling Co.—stirred with a seasonal hydrosol in place of vermouth and served with an El Bulli-inspired liquid olive.

London: The Connaught Bar

For Reiner, this renowned London bar with its thoughtful and elegant approach to hospitality makes it one of her favorite places for a Martini. “The [Martini] cart and style of service are unbeatable,” she says. The bar tailors each drink to taste, as director of mixology Ago Perrone (author of The Connaught Bar: Recipes and Iconic Creations) considers it “the most personal of all the drinks served today.” Served table-side from their custom bar cart, the Martinis are prepared with your choice of gin and house-made bitters. Go with the ginseng and bergamot bitters for something energizing, coriander to complement the gin, or lavender to bring out the floral notes.

Dukes Bar  

At this world-famous hotel bar in London, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not ordering a Martini. Both the bar and the cocktail are said to have inspired writer and Dukes regular Ian Fleming to make James Bond a Martini lover. “Dukes Hotel Bar feels very much like that, where it’s just the right drink for that room and done in such a simplistically silly way it’s hard to pass up,” says Trevor Easter of Sacramento’s The Butterscotch Den (featured on the cover of our May/June issue).

Madrid: Del Diego Cocktail Bar

You know that smooth move where the bartender switches out your room-temperature cocktail glass for a fresh, chilled one mid-Martini? It’s a technique that’s been gaining popularity throughout the States. But according to Imbibe contributing editor and The Martini Cocktail author Robert Simonson, this New York–style bar in Madrid has been doing what he calls “The Cold Switcheroo” for years. Del Diego, founded in 1992, has always taken a unique approach to their Martinis. Even when mixing the classic, instead of shaking or stirring, they employ what Simonson describes as a stabbing technique, “in which they shove a barspoon into an ice-filled mixing glass again and again.” This old-world method has been described as a one-handed swizzle that’s more a “charming curiosity” than anything.

Paris: Harry’s New York Bar

Even though Harry’s, which was shipped from Manhattan in pieces and reassembled to open in Paris in 1911, is credited with being the birthplace of such classics as the Sidecar, the French 75, and the Bloody Mary, Ford recommends ordering the Martini. They make it the same way they’ve made it for decades: a dry Martini with gin, French vermouth, and an olive or lemon twist. “As you can imagine with any bar with this much cocktail culture and history, the Martini at Harry’s is world-class and you are in very fitting surroundings to sip one.” 

Sydney: Dean & Nancy

For Ford, this elegant midcentury-inspired bar by the team behind the award-winning Maybe Sammy ticks all the right boxes. “It is situated on the 22nd floor with incredible views of Sydney and there is a piano player playing tunes from the era to create the appropriate ambience,” he says. While adventurous drinkers might seek out Dean & Nancy’s original cocktails like a smoke bubble-topped spritz, to lean into the Rat Pack experience, order the table-side Martini service and have the drink made to spec: gin or vodka, wet or dry, and with olives or a lemon twist.

Tokyo: The SG Club

It’s no surprise that this Shibuya bar by award-winning bartender Shingo Gokan (the man behind spots like Sip & Guzzle in New York City, Devil’s Cut in Madrid, and Speak Low in Shanghai) serves up an impeccable Martini. “You get everything from the perfect ice to the perfect pour,” says Ford. “The only decision tougher than which Martini to order is which bar to relax and sip it in.” The SG Club features two distinct bars on two separate floors: the casual Guzzle bar and the sophisticated speakeasy-style Sip lounge.

Venice: Harry’s Bar

Even though Simonson prefers a traditional Martini with gin and vermouth, he can’t resist an old bar that puts their own spin on a classic. Such is the case at Harry’s Bar (no relation to Harry’s New York Bar in Paris) where they are famous for serving a Montgomery Martini, which is 15 parts gin to 1 part vermouth, served in a chilled shot glass. Legend has it that it was Hemingway’s preferred sipper at Harry’s. “The presentation is a shocker at first: so small, so strange,” he says. “But it grows on you and you have to admire Harry’s for sticking to its guns amid endless tourist confusion. Eventually, you just plain love it.”

United States

Los Angeles: Musso & Frank Grill

This century-old restaurant, located just off Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame, tops the lists of must-have Martinis for many Angelenos. There’s something special about sitting at a bar so ingrained in the city’s history that it counted Charlie Chaplin as its first regular. The history coupled with the impeccable presentation—delivered with a sidecar by a bartender in a smart red coat—makes the Martini feel like an occasion evert time. The gin offerings on the menu are accompanied by tasting notes and proof level to help you dial in the perfect Martini to taste.

Sacramento: The Butterscotch Den

The Freezer Martini at this grill-your-own-steak lounge by Trevor Easter is one of our favorites, and at $10 ($8 during happy hour) it’s a steal. Essentially a Fitty-Fitty whose vermouth component is split between blanc and dry vermouths, its lower proof makes it easy to knock back as refreshment. Ordering one to sip on while you cook up your steak or burger on the grill in the center of the room is a great way to pass the time. To fancy it up, opt for the caviar garnish for $5.

San Francisco: House of Prime Rib

This San Francisco institution, which opened in 1949, remains one of the hardest tables to book, with wait times for walk-ins spanning several hours and reservations opening up a year in advance. Locals and tourists adore its old-school setting and service, with the prime rib carted out and carved table side. According to Easter, the Martini at HOPR—a straightforward take with gin or vodka and a splash of dry vermouth—is a classic example of a contextual cocktail: One that is greatly improved by the ambiance of where it’s served. “I’ve always said that a cocktail should be an accessory to the experience,” he says. “And the HOPR Martini is the humble drummer who’s not flashy but great at keeping time.”

New Orleans: Commander’s Palace

Celebrated bartender and educator Pamela Wiznitzer calls out the 25-cent Martinis at Commander’s Palace as the best Martini deal in the world. On Thursdays and Fridays, those dining on lunch can order up to three Martinis for 25 cents each. The “Martini” options include a classic, a Cosmopolitan, a melon cocktail, and Commander’s—a mix of vodka, sour mix, and blue curaçao. “Even with the economic inflation over the years, this deal remains unchanged and one of the most fun Martini experiences in the country,” she says.

New York City: Martiny’s

“Takuma [Watanabe]’s Martini with caviar is an experience everyone should have at least once!” Reiner says. Watanabe believes that caviar’s salinity paired with the dry gin Martini makes for the perfect combination. And while a caviar garnish served with a freezer-cold Martini has become a popular pastime in bars, Martiny’s takes the experience to an artistic level. Instead of dropping the dollop onto the drinker’s hand, the Kaluga caviar is served on a wooden mannequin hand alongside the Martini.

Sardi’s

New York local Wiznitzer counts Sardi’s as part of her Broadway ritual. The 100-year-old Theater District restaurant is famously known for the celebrity caricatures that line its walls. As soon as the curtain drops on whichever show she’s watching, she runs off to Sardi’s upstairs bar and orders a gin Martini and pub cheese. Even though Times Square is teeming with bars, for Witznitzer, “the ambiance and space really contribute to the experience of having an ice cold sipper. And the buzz and feeling in that upstairs bar of Sardi’s is really unmatched.”