MARTINI FLIGHT

There are many reasons why people like flights of drinks.

People like variety, especially when they are comparing drinks from the same family - ports, IPAs, whiskeys, and so on.

The experience itself can be fun. It's not just trying different drinks, it is an event.

It can be education, with tasting notes and background, connecting the flavour on the tongue to a new memory.

With 150 years of innovation in the Martini, we have put together a skim across the top, in the form of our Martini Flight. Put all the bottles in the freezer. Lay out the tasting notes and map in front of you, and come on a journey with us.

The Tuxedo is first referenced in Harry Johnson's 1900 Bartender's Manual. There are many variations described in various tomes since then, and the custom has been to name them #1 and #2 and so on. It has Old Tom gin, and sets the tone for our Martini Flight.

The Gibson was first referenced slightly earlier than the Tuxedo. At this point, a lot of drinks were appearing that mixed gin and vermouth. What defined the Martini at this point was orange bitters and an olive. What defined a Gibson was no bitters, and an onion in place of the olive. It is London Dry, and sampled side by side with a Tuxedo is a fascinating comparison.

The 1950s brought what is possibly the most famous Martini variant of all, James Bond's Vesper. Based on a drink Ian Fleming had at Duke's? Probably. Either way, it is the only drink we know that mixes gin and vodka, and even in our dialled down recipe, is pretty punchy. 

The 1990s brought the beginning of the cocktail renaissance, and was also the beginning of the golden age of gin. The Lychee Martini was a vodka drink in those days, but we reimagined it with a gin base, and we like it a lot more. It's inevitably more complex, and that gives it a more sophisticated range on the tongue.

At this point the Martini was a stripped down, bone dry drink that was usually just gin, as cold as you could get it, maybe with a hint of vermouth. That is still the most popular presentation in the world, but it is not the only one. Audrey Sanders of the Pegu Club in NYC reintroduced vermouth and orange bitters with her Fitty-Fitty Martini (50% split of vermouth and gin) and then Ivy Mix split the gin with Pisco and cut the vermouth sweet and dry, creating the En Cuarto. A modern classic from across the river in Brooklyn. That drink is on our menu as the Pisco Martini.

There are so many more places we could go, but we felt we had to have London's contribution to the history of the Martini. Not a Martini at all, but the most famous of all of the modern cocktails, the Espresso Martini should definitely sharpen up proceedings if you have got to this stage in the flight.

These drinks are designed to be served in a classic stemmed glass such as a Nick and Nora, a Coupe, or even a Speakeasy Martini. Chill your glass down so when you pour your drink from the freezer it stays colder for longer.

This flight is offered in 6 x 50ml bottles, which should comfortably allow one person to participate in the flight.