Voda in SF.

Tee-hee Those were the days, drinking a cheap margarita under the wings of one of those dead airplanes.

M8

yes, the boneyard, there is something slightly erotic about it, I love planes new AND old....

No, no, no... you folks have to tell us a little bit about WHY that was the best martini you've had! Not to mention, you have to say something about what kind of martini you had!

ILuvParis's killer martinis at his place in Chicago. They were so good, that no one would leave.

TUS has some great scenery, particularly in the mountains. Is there more to learning about tequila and cacti than not to drink the worm and not to sleep in the cacti?

The classic martini has always intrigued me as a bar drink as it is better made at home. As this discussion has shown, it is trivially easy to make provided that you control the preparation (stock the right kind of gin, keep it and the glasses at the right temperature, have the right kind of toothpicks for the olives). All of which is easier to do at home than for most bars to manage.

Time for my "martini". Pure Tanqueray Ten straight from the freezer, in a chilled Riedel riesling glass (unadulterated by vermouth or olives or lemon peel, though I have mixed feelings about the latter).

Ok. Voda in San Francisco. Ultimat Martini (vodka). I'm not a big martini fan, but this was smoooooooth. It was the start of a great night.

Last time I was there was in 1979. I got dumped off of a MAC flight and wound up hitchhiking to Los Angeles with a sailor that got booted from the same flight. Back then one could walk freely about the old planes. I wonder if that's still true, or if current security concerns have changed things. It was cool looking at the old abandoned planes.

M8

best - cranberry martini's at the aut bar in ann arbor, mi... . Not sure what made them so tasty, but I ended up wicked hung over the next day from slamming them down.

near best - white chocolate martini at n9ne in Chicago. sooooo much better than a normal chocolate martini (which I actually find quite nasty).

if this thread is about real (non-flavored) martinis only, then sorry, I can't help you. I stopped drinking those the day I discovered that you could make flavored ones!

I think I'll just add a little after thought to this thread.

2 explorers are preparing a trip to some remote region of the world, and in addition to their usual supplies one packs a large bottle of vodka, and a bottle of vermouth. "You cant carry all that!" His shocked friend exclaims. "this is the most important part" he replies "this is our survival and rescue pack!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" asks his now totally confused friend.

"well its like this, if we ever get lost or stranded, we mix up a martini, and its absolutely guarenteed that some nosey f***er will turn up to tell us how we made it wrong, then we're rescued!"


Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Actually, a martini does not contain vermouth (just a vague thought that maybe a vermouth bottle was somewhere in the vicinity of the Martini at some point in time)

I'm back to the true gin martini - vodka martinis are good, but not the original one - though I'm fine if you call it a 'vodka martini'. 'Martini' by itself implies gin.

Bombay Sapphire - or, when you want something different, Hendrick's garnished w/ a cucumber slice.

I had to translate 'dirty martini' for a bartender at the Westin in Madrid (not for me, for someone else there) - definitely some eyebrow raising .

Alec

--------------

Tom Lehrer's Martini was not quite as dry as I'd drink it:

"Hearts full of youth,
Hearts full of truth,
Six parts gin to one part vermouth."

From College Days

I prefer Bombay Sapphire.

As part of my signature implies...I am always in search of the best martini (wherever in the world they may be!). I have had my share of great martinis in my travels and of course at home. I am definitely a vodka martini girl (prefer Belvedere or Grey Goose). I would have to say my favourite is a cosmopolitan.

The best ones I have had thus far:

The Red Coconut (Orlando, FL)
The Kaiser Grille (Palm Springs, CA) very good peach martini there
Martini Ranch (San Diego, CA)
Dirty Martini (London)
Area (West Hollywood, CA)
Pegu Club (NYC)
Russian Vodka Room (NYC)
Eat My Martini (Toronto)
Bound Bar (Paris, France)
Le Fumoir (Paris, France)


Where are some of the places you have had the best martini? It can be anything from a funky flavoured ultra hip martini to the traditional James Bond shaken, not stirred variety.

Yes, as i posted on the other thread when I noticed your signature, the bar at the Dukes Hotel in London. Went there with a couple other Flyertalkers at a mini London Do a few years ago. One of them said they had the best martinis in the world. I was skeptical to say the least but it was worth a try. He may be right. They have a martini table that they bring to your table to make the martini. It has all the parts present. They usually make them with either Boodles (I think that was it) or if you want a bit of a special one, Plymouth Gin. They peel a bit of lemon zest and rub it around the rim of the cold glass for the final touch. They will make vodka ones, but they will raise their eyebrows just a bit when they do.

I just now saw your post in the thread in the amex forum. Thanks so much for the suggestion!

I am not opposed to gin martinis, I just prefer vodka. I will definitely go there on my next trip to London this year. I think a FT Martini Do would be a fun idea sometime!