These Atlanta bars and restaurants are turning up the volume on their martinis!
Various food trends have had their share of the viral limelight over the years. The cupcake era had handheld confections piled high with icing; later came the Bloody Mary craze when the brunch staple was loaded with cocktail shrimp, bacon and just about anything that would sit still long enough to be pickled. The latest item to receive the royal treatment is the martini.
These over-the-top martinis aren’t your standard James Bond, 007 shaken-not-stirred drinks. This is martini-maxxing. Every ingredient is hyper-specific, with the utmost attention to detail for each step, down to the custom garnish. Atlanta bartenders are rising to the occasion, presenting martinis with decadence down to the last drop.
THE FLYING V
Martini connoisseurs will recognize two unique qualities of the Koshu Club martini from the jump. It’s built as a 50/50 martini, an even one-toone pour of gin to vermouth. Then, that vermouth is split down the middle between sweet and dry, a nod to what’s known as a “perfect martini.” The barkeeps at the clubby Japanese steakhouse up the ante with two unusual vermouths: La Quintinye Blanc Royal for sweetness and Baldoria Dry Umami for something more savory. It’s topped with house-made pickled myoga, a Japanese ginger.
koshuclubatl.com
@koshuclubatl
ESPRESSO MARTINI SOFT SERVE
The idea started with a simple question: If soft-serve margaritas were possible, why not turn an espresso martini into ice cream, too? Brush’s answer is a boozy softserve built with espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur, swirled into something that reads equal parts dessert and cocktail. The finishing touch is a mini croissant from Pastry Chef Ching Yao Wang of Michelin-starred O by Brush.
brushatl.com
@brushatl
THE FREEZER MARTINI
True to its name, this Carmel specialty is prebatched and diluted ahead of time before being poured tableside into a glass frozen hard enough to fog. The ingredients are simple but strategic: gin, dry vermouth and a touch of Tempus Fugit’s Kina l’aero d’or, a bittersweet white wine aperitif built on bittering agents such as cinchona bark, orange peel and wormwood. The last touch is a selection of classic martini accoutrements including a lemon peel and olives. “The garnishes are placed in a caddy of pebble ice so the guest can complete the finishing touch to their taste,” says Beverage Director David Little. Blue cheese olives or cocktail onions are available upon request.
carmelatl.com
@carmelatl
THE PROFESSIONAL
Bar Manager Timothy Parker, who holds the whimsical title of head alchemist, developed a signature martini for Luella that’s as confident as the steakhouse itself. The Professional, a frozen dirty martini made with Aspen Vodka, Empirical Olive, house olive brine and celery bitters, is served with a caviar-topped seasonal raw oyster and assorted briny garnishes. Aptly named, it’s a drink that means business.
luellaatl.com
@luellaatl
LE PETIT MARTINI
Little Sparrow’s itty-bitty, ice-cold 3.5-ounce martini, available with gin or vodka, is proof that the best things come in small packages. Vice President of Beverage Eduardo Porto Carreiro explains the recipe was only part of the perfect cocktail puzzle. “We decided to scale back on the size of the glass in order to highlight the excellent service temperature,” he says. The most distinctive aspect of this drink: It’s neither shaken nor stirred. “We dilute the martini with Aqua Panna mineral water and bring it down to temperature in the freezer,” he says. Sometimes less is truly more.
littlesparrowatl.com
@littlesparrowatlanta
