Whether you like yours with an olive (or three) or a twist, the ever-popular martini is a timeless drink with a swathe of staying power.
It’s generally acknowledged that the famed cocktail – traditionally made with gin (although vodka is also a popular choice) and vermouth – rose to popularity in the 1920s. Since then, the cocktail has maintained its strong reputation (and ABV). Martini connoisseurs have developed a host of varieties, and the innovation continues.
This Saturday 21 June marks World Martini Day and a number of venues across Sydney and Melbourne are celebrating the occasion with special cocktails and deals across the weekend.
Avia
Countless martini variations have hit the mainstream, from appletinis and espresso martinis to chocolate martinis and breakfast martinis. For its first World Martini Day, the team at Avia is embracing its creative licence by developing two celebratory varieties.
First up is the oyster martini ($24) with oyster shell infused vodka and oyster brine for that savoury finish. The martini is served with olives, a Sydney rock oyster, and pickled cornichons. For a slightly sweeter take, the gin-based rhubarb martini ($22) sees house rhubarb syrup mixed with lemon juice and a little egg white – “almost like a sour,” says Avia Director Stefano Marano. Classic martinis will also be $18 weekend-long.
Fleet
Flinders Street’s Fleet is hosting two nights of martini reverence on Friday June 20 a Saturday June 21 from 6-8pm. Bartenders will be wheeling a martini trolley through the rooftop bar, serving martinis (and variations of) with a view. Options include the classic, a raspberry martini, a Bloody Mary martini, and a lychee appletini all made with Grey Goose vodka or Tanqueray 10 gin (from $20). The bar will also be serving freshly shucked oysters and caviar bumps from an additional roving oyster cart.
Maybe Sammy
While not exclusive to World Martini Day, Maybe Sammy is a keen purveyor of the martini. Every day from 4.30-5.30pm, the world’s best bar serves up $8 mini cocktails. Mini versions include the chamomile martini ($15 outside happy hour; Bombay Sapphire gin, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, chamomile, pepper, and cedarwood) and the lychee martini ($15 outside happy hour; 42 Below vodka, lemon myrtle, lychee, and citrus).
Four Pillars
Until 22 June, venues across Sydney and Melbourne are serving special edition Four Pillar’s signature olive leaf gin mini martinis alongside curated snacks. Venues include Sydney’s Le Foote, Nomad, Shell House, The Charles Nour, Bar Julius, and The International; and Melbourne’s Bar Bellamy, Lui Bar, Hazel, Society, and Reine and La Rue. The cocktails range from $19-$28, including a paired snack.
Photography by Declan Blackall
Bar Tilda
The House Made Hospitality bar has a range of martinis it calls “subtle swirls” on the classic. Bar Tilda is also the place to go for Archie Rose trolley service that allows guests to customise their drink tableside. The bar has a range of martini options, including the Tilda Martini ($25; Archie Rose lemon-scented gum gin, ferrand orange curacao, pomelo dry vermouth, with eucalyptus frosted lemon sherbert and aromatic pepper); and the saltbush martini ($28; Hickson House harbour strength gin, saltbush, green apple vermouth, crisp salt air, and aromatic green fruit).
“I absolutely love saltbush but I hadn’t seen it explored much in cocktails,” House Made Hospitality Beverage Director Jason Williams told Hospitality for the March/April edition of the magazine. “So I thought if we’re going to do a savoury, pickley martini, then let’s use it – it has that salt but it also has the herbaciousness.”
Photograph by Steven Woodburn
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