The New York Martini 50
The Martini Expo Still Has The Mix in a Martini State of Mind. Here Are the Best Martini Experiences in Gotham.
Perhaps it’s a bit cruel to run a list of New York’s best Martinis during Dry January. But, what the heck! The Mix’s 4th anniversary is on Jan. 19 and we’re feeling a bit celebratory.
Also, it could be that, though The Martini Expo was four months ago, we remain in a Martini state of mind here at The Mix. So, instead of the annual New York 50—in which we have, in the past, identified the 50 classic cocktails in the city, or the 50 iconic cocktail bars—this year we are listing what we consider to be New York City’s 50 classic Martini experiences.
Experience is the key word there. Because every bar/drink on this list that made it there was for a different, very individual reason. Sometimes it’s simply the Martini itself, being a superlative example of the cocktail. Sometimes it’s more about the bar being the kind of place that lends itself to drinking the king of cocktails. Other times it’s the presentation, or the complete Martini mise en scène—the cocktail, the bar, the menu, the atmosphere, all of it. In all cases, these 50 places do Martini well.
This list is, in its way, a kind of Martini Expo reunion. That couldn’t be avoided, since we had some of New York’s best Martini makers and best Martini bars represented at the event, such as Phil Ward from Long Island Bar and Altar; Julie Reiner from Clover Club and Milady’s; Will Elliott from Maison Premiere and Tigre; Masahiro Urushido from Katana Kitten; Kenta Goto from Bar Goto; Takuma Watanabe from Martiny’s; Sarah Morrissey from Le Veau d’Or; Dave Arnold from Bar Contra; Ektoras Binikos and Simon Jutras from Bittermonk; St. John Frizell from Gage & Tollner; Jeff Bell from Peacock Alley; Meaghan Dorman from Dear Irving; Brian Evans from the Chelsea Hotel; and Katie Renshaw from Hawksmoor.
So, here we go! If you feel we missed a great Martini destination, please chime in in the comments.
I could specify just one Martini at Altar, but why do that when the Crown Heights bar has an entire Martini menu full of bangers, all devised by Martini master Phil Ward. But if you have to start somewhere, may I suggest the Beefsteak or the Riddler.
The Shinzen Martini is very in keeping with this Toronto-born bar’s high-concept ways, made with Roku gin, Umeshu, dry vermouth, ginger liqueur, watermelon rosé cordial and grapefruit bitters. Lovely.
Their Candarin Orange is described, in very Dave Arnold language, as “like a 50/50 Martini, but floral, citrusy and made with tequila.” It’s also crazy delicious. There’s also clarified canned mandarin oranges in there, because: Dave Arnold.
Kenta Goto’s bar, one of the first Japanese-American style cocktail bars in the U.S., put itself immediately on the Martini map by garnishing its light-bodied Sakura Martini with a salted cherry blossom.
You can get every kind of Italian aperitivo from this stylish, wedge-shaped Greenwich Village bar from the Via Carota team. A Martini is among them.
Force Majeure is the name of the Martini at this East Village bartenders haunt, described as a “bonkers tasty rhubarb & beeswax dry martini made with Irish & Scottish gins.”
You don’t go to Bittermonk in Industry City for Martinis, per se, but for the drink’s modern cousin, the Vesper. No bar in the city offers so many delectable versions of the Vesper, usually accented by one of their custom-made Atheras spirits.
New York’s king of the old-school, dry-as-a-bone, pricey, bucket-size Martinis. The cocktail is the necessary accessory to the surrounding muraled atmosphere of this classiest of New York hotel bars.
The MSG Martini at this Cantonese restaurant in Williamsburg is a Dirty Martini that proudly wears its MSG on its sleeve.
The house Martini at this longstanding Brooklyn cocktail bar is called the Gin Blossom. Owner Julie Reiner was using blanc vermouth and eau-de-vie (in this case, apricot) in her Martinis way before it became a trendy practice in recent years.
Danny Meyer’s popular midtown restaurant opened strong with an expert house Martini made of Occitan gin (a gin made by the Italian vermouth maker Bordiga), Neversink gin, blanc & dry vermouth and orange bitters.
This hip SoHo eatery is where you go if you like it dirty. There’s Oli’s Dirty, made of vodka, vermouth, brine and olive oil wash; The Filth, made of just vodka and brine; Sour Cream & Onion, with cream-washed gin, vermouth, dill and onion; and Tomato, with tomato water.
Manhattan’s most stylish new cocktail bar has a sublime, slightly unorthodox Martini named after the artist who inspired the bar, Francesco Clemente. It’s composed of Italian ingredients, including Altamura Vodka, Malfy Gin, Green Curry and Saffron.
This ever-popular Greenwich Village cocktail bar is perhaps better known for its Negronis and Spirtzes, but it does have a notable Martini menu as well. The one to start with is the Dante Martini, made of vodka, Fords gin, Noilly Prat and Dolin blanc vermouths, Nardini cedro and lemon bitters.
I know, it’s a Gibson, not a Martini, but it’s close enough to count, and too good to ignore. Dear Irving has, in fact, the best Gibson in town. The red cocktail onion means “go” in this case.
Donohue’s Martini became famous in recent years by sticking to the old ways. It’s a dry Martini of generous enough proportions that the mixing glass filled with ice and extra liquor is left with you as a sidecar.
New York desperately needed a good, cheap Martini. This East Village bar answered the call by providing a $16 version, plus $10 short Martinis until 7 pm.
You can not only get a great Martini at this Brooklyn restaurant landmark—whose history stretches back to the invention of the Martini—but also perfect renditions of the drink’s relatives, including the Turf Club, Gibson and Perfect Martini.
Mayor of Talkeetna, a Martini twist made of gin, blanc vermouth, dry vermouth, carrot eau de vie and Chartreuse, appeared on the bar’s cat-themed menu in 2022. But it’s so good they keep bringing it back.
Barman Thomas Waugh designed the inaugural cocktail list when the Four Seasons was converted into the Grill Room and the Grill Bar. It boasted one of the first classic Martini menus of the modern Martini revival. Waugh is long gone, but the Major Food Group has been wise enough to not mess with his work.
Their house Martini is advertised as the coldest in New York. It may be. )They’ve got a food thermometer at the ready to prove it.) It’s definitely one of the best and one of the most dependable.
A splurge Martini. The Garden Martini costs $55, but that price will get you the drink plus an orchard of garnish options.
The city’s most fun-loving Japanese-American bar debuted with a menu that included the one-of-a-kind Hinoki Martini, which is served in a stemless glass over ice in a bento box. The glassware makes it tricky to manage, but don’t worry: it will be empty before long.
You can order your Martini here however you like it. This is an old-school bar, in one of the city’s oldest restaurants. However you want it, they will make it well and make it strong.
I can’t promise you the best Martini you’ve ever had at this landmark bar. But it will be big. And if you don’t like it, you can drink in the beauty of the massive Maxwell Parrish mural behind the bar instead.
The hotel maintains that it is the birthplace of the Martini. It is not. But it’s a grand old place with a lot of history. And they do serve a great, very-old-school Martini made of gin, sweet and dry vermouth and orange bitters.
Among the many house Martinis at this luxe Rockefeller Center restaurant, go for the extra dry Super Sec, made of 7 parts overproof Old Raj gin and 1 part dry vermouth
The Martini “Our Way” splits your pleasure into two: on one side is an Old Raj Martini; on the other side, a highball of extra vermouth and Vichy water. Two-fisted drinking at its best.
One Duke’s Martini, New York style, coming up! It’s the only place in New York where you can get this classic, frozen, undiluted London-born rendition of the cocktail.
Is there a Martini on the cocktail menu at this Brooklyn cocktail bar? No. But there is “A Martini.” It is owner Toby Cecchini’s special concoction, made of gin, sake, blanco vermouth and bergamot-pomelo tincture.
The King Cole Martini service, prepared with pomp and circumstance tableside or barside, is one of the non plus ultra cocktail experiences in New York. In a city full of $22 Martinis, this drink-and-a-show remains a bargain at $28.
Martiny’s house Martini is hardly a Martini at all, except in historical intention. The Grand Martiny’s has gin in it, but after that goes off the textbook, calling for Sherry, St. Germain, Port and Cognac. And it’s purple. But why argue when it tastes so good?
The bar’s Big Apple Martini—made with Bombay Sapphire gin, Skyy vodka, apple brandy and granny Smith apple—was one of the first reimagined Appletinis of the current era that made us reconsider the 1990s staple.
The Modern has one of the most urbane bar programs in the city. Their house Martini is made of a gin blend, Alsatian kirsch, blanc vermouth, and anise.
You wouldn’t expect to get a good classic Martini at a tiki bar. But you might expect “an oceanic take on a dirty Martini.” That’s the Riptide Martini. Take some wasabi pea-infused aquavit and some seaweed-infused gin, and add dry and blanc vermouths, green Chartreuse and coconut water.
This seafood raw bar in the East Village only has a wine/beer license. But that didn’t stop them from fashioning a house Martini without the benefit of gin or vodka! It has a base of barley shochu and a dry vermouth made with an organic base wine from the Loire Valley and fresh botanicals. The vermouth is cut with kijoshu sake. A dash of house made celery vinegar and a dash of lactic acid, and juniper and citrus aromatics spritzed over the glass finish it. That’s a long way to go for a low abv Martini, but worth it.
The Players is a private social club, housed in the former home of actor Edwin Booth on Gramercy Park. So it’s not exactly fair to name it as a Martini destination. But if you ever do get in as a guest, head down to the Grill room and ask the gruff bartender, Eddie, for one of his famous Martinis. You will have to bow before the cocktail to take the first sip before you can carry it away. But be warned: as my friend David Cote once said, they are “efficient.”
The Cartagena (full name: Barrio Getsemani - Cartagena, but trying saying that when you’re two drinks in) is made of Gin, Aguardiente, passion fruit, Sherry, and cherry bark vanilla bitters. It elegantly fruity and swings quite wide of the classic Martini profile but manages to land quite close to its mother drink. Perfect to enjoy while soaking in the beauty of this modern classic cocktail bar.
Peacock Alley at Waldorf Astoria
The fine Waldorf Martini is made of Ford’s Gin and Mancino Secco Vermo. It will cost you $35. But, hey, you’re at the Waldorf, finally open after years of hibernation! And there’s a $75 per head minimum anyway, so enjoy yourself. The beverage director is Jeff Bell of PDT, who knows a thing or two about cocktails.
Aside from immediately commanding the longest line among New York cocktail bars, the new Schmuck also made an impact with its cocktails, particularly the Schmuck Martini, made of Ford’s gin, shochu, blanche de Normandie, blanc and dry vermouths, and olive oil. It proved so popular that the bar created a highball riff (dirty martini & tonic) for the patio menu. That did so well, it landed on the menu permanently. So, now there are two house Martinis.
They do nothing by halves at this high-concept cocktail bar. The Arctic Gibson is composed of Altamura Distilleries Vodka, Axia Mastiha Spirit, Iichiko ‘Saiten’ Shochu, Lo-Fi Dry Vermouth, Spruce, Willow Bark, and a lacto-fermented frozen red pearl onion. Is this how they do it at the North Pole?
The Sixty Forty, served at the posh downstairs Sip part of Sip & Guzzle, is meant to drink like a Martini at first, and a Manhattan last. It’s mode of Bombay Sapphire Gin, Rittenhouse Rye, dry and sweet vermouth and even a couple dashes of NA Seedlip spirit. But it begins as a Martini, so we’re including it.
Smith and Mills, Rockefeller Center
The new Smith and Mills edition at Rockefeller Center has single-handedly brought back the mid-20th-century tradition of the three Martini lunch. Their trio of mini Martinis includes a gin-vodka Vesper with sherry and blanc vermouth; a 50-50 made of Hayman’s Royal Dock navy-strength gin and Mattei Cap Corse quinquina blanc; and a mix of mezcal, sotol, herbal génépy, lime-leaf aperitif, and grapefruit bitters. And 1-2-3, you’re happy!
This East Village vegetarian temple cares about good cocktails. It used to have an excellent house Martini called the Bird’s Beak Martini, but that drink required a seasonal ingredient (bird’s beak pepper brine) that was hard to keep in stock. They still serve a solid basic Martini, though, which is a lot more than you’d get at your average veggie joint, or burger joint for that matter. They use the estimable Hayman’s London Dry Gin.
The city’s most famous Mexican-American cocktail bar isn’t going to serve just any Martini. It’s going to have a Green Mango Martini, made of blanco tequila, mango distillate, Sauternes, honey, chili oil and, of course, green mango.
Temple Bar was a Martini mecca during its first long incarnation on Lafayette Street. It’s a Martini Mecca again in its rebirth under the guidance of the Attaboy crew.
The smoky Cigarette Martini at this Lower East Side bar, from the founders of Maison Premiere, was so successful that they ran out of it. (It required a special, limited ingredient.) So now they serve the just-as-good Cigarette 2, made of Truman vodka, bacanora silvestre, sunchoke and black cardamom.
You think the city’s best gin bar isn’t going to serve a good Martini? Why, they have a whole list! Start with the house Gibson, made with a gin from a Calvados maker and house-made vermouth, and work your way down.
A rotating bar at the top of a hotel in Times Square, New York’s most New Yorky neighborhood (from a tourist’s point of view, anyway), should have a very New Yorky Martini. That means the Katz’s Martini, a brisket-washed gin-aquavit Martini inspired by the famous namesake delicatessen.
That’s 49! And for No. 50 on the list…well, what do you think?
Odds and Ends…
Trick Dog, the San Francisco cocktail bar, has dropped its 24th menu, published in conjunction with its 13th anniversary and twice-yearly menu change. It is titled “Meet Me in the City,” and is described as “a 64-page hardcover book of photographs by 21 of the industry’s most respected photographers. Trick Dog will host a public book signing and meet & greet with several of the participating photographers on January 25… Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) announced the opening of the nomination period for the 20th Annual Spirited Awards, taking place from January 12 to February 3, 2026. Winners will be recognized during Tales of the Cocktail 2026, returning to New Orleans from July 19-24… The first episode of the new podcast Sauced, about Beef Bourguignon, has dropped. Sauced looks at “cooking with booze and drinking with food.”… Stars, the new East Village wine bar from the team behind the excellent restaurants Claud and Penny, has opened. It has only 12 seats and is walk-in only… Queen Kelly, the legendary 1929 silent film disaster by director Erich von Stroheim that effectively ended the career of star and producer Gloria Swanson, will be screened at Film Forum Jan. 16-22… Notable Chicago Beverage Director Kyle Davidson has created a Bruschetta-inspired Martini for his new Italian all-day café, Bar Tutto, with celebrity Chef Joe Flamm this winter. The Martini Saporito is made with Bordiga Gin, Tomato Water, Carpano Bianco, Caper Lead, Olive Oil and Basil.
I vote for the Oyster Bar in GCT!!
Mastic Martini at Iris