Nothing quite like a dry martini at one of Capital’s, and world’s, best bars
There is nothing quite like a dry martini, the cocktail much loved by Sir Winston Churchill, James Bond and my husband and I.
The icy combination of the driest of gins with a tiny drop of dry vermouth, a juicy green olive or two and a sliver of lemon is pure perfection, but lethal. We once had three martinis each in New York’s Waldorf Astoria and can barely remember the following 24 hours. So these days, we tend to stick to one at a time.
Our favourite one recently was in Leith’s stupendous vertical distillery. The Port of Leith’s Maritime Martini has a drop of sherry as well as dry vermouth, which adds a depth to the cocktail which I have tried, and failed, to replicate at home. Drinking it while gazing at the windswept roses in our back green is not quite the same as sipping one while enjoying the panoramic views of Leith harbour from the 8th floor bar.
I am now determined to try a martini in one of the world’s best cocktail bars, which happens to be in Edinburgh’s Queen Street. Panda & Sons, which opened in 2013, is ranked number 34 in the annual list of the world’s 50 best bars.
Embarrassingly, I have never graced the bar, as my days of pub crawling are but a distant memory, but I am now determined to visit it before this year is over. It’s owner, Iain McPherson, has become one of the industry’s most influential mixologists for his use of groundbreaking techniques such as freeze switching and sous-pression. No, I haven’t a clue either, but I am sure he and his team produce some amazing drinks, as a quick look at the menu suggests.
Their Bonnie Orchard, made with vodka, red vermouth, brandy, rose wine, cherries and a touch of absinthe may read like one of the “punches” we used to make at house parties when we were teenagers, but I am sure it is divine. The real test for any bar, however, even one that is considered among the best in the world, is its take on a classic martini. I promise to report back on Panda’s efforts, provided of course I only drink one.