Positive, you may have a Martini anyplace. However there’s really no place higher to get pleasure from one than Manhattan. Possibly it’s as a result of the angular traces and skinny stem of a basic Martini glass echo the town’s iconic skyscrapers; possibly it’s the no-nonsense austerity of the drink, not in contrast to the town’s denizens and their get-outta-my-way attitudes; or the sometimes-bonkers, rule-defying, sheer variety of the format—once more, not in contrast to the individuals who populate the town.
No marvel the drink seems in myriad books, TV reveals and movies about New York, from Dorothy Parker on the Algonquin to the fabled Mad Males of Madison Avenue. The Martini has lengthy been the default native accent.
One of many ironies of the Martini is that though it’s immediately recognizable, it’s additionally a keen chameleon, shape-shifting based mostly on bar tradition and the bartender who builds it. It could be poured from a chunky decanter or frosted-over bottle pulled straight from the freezer, divided right into a sidecar or introduced in a glass with impossibly skinny, vertiginous stems. Some bartenders use home blends of gin, vermouth and bitters to painstakingly micromanage the drink with out altering the basic assemble, whereas others play with the traditions of “improved” cocktails, lacing Martinis with small touches of liqueurs or savory or smoky accents, whereas garnishes—from a swish cherry blossom to an non-compulsory caviar bump—add memorable, typically over-the-top enchantment.
Typically, a Martini is a ticket to Manhattan’s most vibrant and historic areas. It is about extra than simply the drink while you’re having fun with it within the beloved Bemelmans Bar amid the Madeline murals, or Monkey Bar, the place you may nearly see the shadows of literary greats over many years refracted by way of the prism of a V-shaped glass. Much more fashionable bars lend themselves to a spherical of Martinis, just like the plush animal print–laden inside of Tigre or the glossy, chandelier-topped room of the Foyer Bar at Lodge Chelsea.
All of those variations means there’s a Martini for everybody. From crisp, by-the-book classics to revolutionary iterations, the Martini is the borough’s default for a motive. —Kara Newman
