Where to Drink a Martini

For many, the best drink is the easiest one to make. It's doubly true, though, that these simpler recipes are, in fact, the hardest to master — there's nowhere for a bad spirit or spoiled garnish to hide; no coverup schemes a bartender can employ with syrups, bitters, or mixers. This is certainly the case with the classic martini, which was, as the story goes, made especially by Knickerbocher Hotel bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia for America's first billionaire, John B. Rockefeller.

But the true origins of the drink remain contested to this day, with various camps citing different drink-makers as inventing it — like Occidental Hotel bartender Jerry Thomas in the 1860s or Harry Johnson in his 1888 book Bartender Manual. No matter who came first, their recipes were largely the same: a 50/50 mix of dry gin and dry vermouth garnished with an olive or two, speared so they stay orderly in the stemmed, beveled glass.

No matter your preferred version — perhaps "shaken, not stirred," like James Bond — all martinis help the drinker reach the same nirvana. It's a confidence booster, a conversation starter, a temperature riser. a stimulant unmated by modern cocktails, which rely on odd names and even stranger ingredients to entice bar-goers. But when it comes time to tell the tender what it is you'll be having, stand strong — order the martini. Half the experience, though, is dependent on the setting. The martini is not meant for the beach or the patio; it's meant for the back rooms; the worn-down bar; the places with a past, and visible grit.

Musso & Frank Grill

6667 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA
The Musso & Frank Grill is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, so the sign says. But it's true: Open since 1919, it's served everyone from Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe to Steve McQueen and Joe DiMaggio. Sure, times have changed on Hollywood Boulevard, — it's flanked by a Mexican happy hour hotspot called Cabo Cantina and a vape shop called Third Eye Smoke — but the restaurant remains the same (and still family-owned). It's here where the industry's original elites negotiated on-screen appearances on the city's first payphone, or read lines, with extra fervor, over a famous Musso's martini. Here, bartenders prepare their signature cocktail in a smaller glass — a 2.5-ounce vessel — but deliver the drink with a chilled sidecar, which stands ready to refill you when necessary. They use high-end Japanese ice machines and house-cure their olives. As for whether they use gin or vodka, they'll appease orderers of both — but the martini will never come with vermouth.

Emilio's Ballato

55 E Houston St, New York, NY
Clubby yet old-school, Emilio's Ballato is what the mind conjures when someone says "New York Italian restaurant." The food is simple; the paint is peeling; the ceilings are crafted from tin; the waiters wear white dress shirts; and the private dining space in the rear? Always reserved. And owner Emilio Vitolo Sr. lays claim to the first table inside the door; that's a non-negotiable. Their menu is simple, though there are secret items insiders can order, and the drinks match. The martini, made with vermouth, suits the white tablecloth setting all without making guests feel like cosplayers. Here, the experience is authentic.

Dukes Bar

35 St James's Place, London
In one of London's most traditional bars, the menu's well-portioned martini is prepared tableside, atop a white tablecloth cart by a bartender dressed to the nines, shaken not stirred, and poured in the outpost's signature V-shaped coupe glass with an aromatic peel of Amalfi lemon. Here at DUKES Bar, well hidden deep inside the hotel of the same name, longtime lead bartender Alessandro Palazzi sets a high standard, catering to equally high-class clientele who come for the ice-cold drinks, but stay for the luxe furnishings, centuries-old art, and chance encounters — it's a slice of old-world glamour in a rapidly changing city. Back in the day, DUKES was the bar of choice for James Bond author Ian Fleming, and many credit it with establishing Bond's drink of choice. Fleming, as one would expect, had good taste, and Bond certainly inherited it.

Harry's Bar

5 Rue Daunou, Paris
Despite the name, Harry's New York Bar is a Parisian fixture. With a laundry list of high-profile regulars (Ernest Hemingway, Humphrey Bogart, and Coco Chanel, to name a few) and a few famous cocktails under its belt (the Bloody Mary, French 75, and Sidecar, among others), the lore is enough reason alone to pull up a stool here. During World War I, it was the spot for expatriates, and in a 1960 short story, Ian Fleming chose it as Bond's favorite bar in Paris. Nowadays, it's still a damn good place to get a drink — historical connections aside. Here, gin reigns supreme, served dry with French vermouth, and olives or a lemon peel — your preference. Either way, it arrives in a long-stemmed, rounded-edge coup, passed across a curved wooden bar surrounded by Harry's classicly American, wholly collegiate-inspired, decor.