The Trendy London Bar With An Entire Trolley Dedicated To Martinis
London's Cocktails insists that at some point in your life, you need to experience a martini trolley. It's a show, a theatrical event that brings an assortment of spirits, garnishes, and ice right to your table as bartenders stir, spritz, and serve to your heart's content. Choose your preferred gin or vodka and instruct the sharply dressed attendant exactly how you like it, which flavors you want to be added, or ask for recommendations. However you participate, World's Best Bars admits the martini trolley is famed for good reason.
This elegant hotel bar in London's Mayfair neighborhood is run by Ago Perrone, reports Foodism, and the establishment has become a fixture for drinkers around the world to visit. "We had a vesper there, once, which nearly cut our legs from under us, both in terms of quality and potency," recalls Wonderland. Although the Connaught is known for serving deliciously tempting and perfect margaritas, with the martini trolley, the bartenders up the stakes.
Martinis served with a side of theatrics
The bartenders at The Connaught are serious about their drinks, notes Wonderland, and staff will go out of their way to make sure guests are satisfied. The Connaught prides itself on providing all of the fixings to make the perfect martini, offering plenty of decisions for guests to enjoy their choice of dirty, with a twist, or flavored drinks in a slick, stylish environment that looks a scene out of the 1920s.
When approached to design the trolley, Inkorporate took inspiration from the bar's unique atmosphere, settling on black lacquered finishes and elements of Art Deco style. Since its conception, the trolley has garnered plenty of international attention. Labeled a "theatrical delight" by Hot Dinners, it allows guests to sip with abandon as drinks are made tableside. Even the ice served has been regarded as the best in the industry by The Telegraph.
The Connaught Shop describes the experience as ceremonial, a personal service tailored by Perrone himself. Served in hand-carved crystal glasses with ice that has been "slow-frozen" for optimal sipping, homemade bitters like tonka bean, lavender, or a combination of bergamot and ginseng can be added to drinks that are stirred and poured from a distance not usually seen at bars. Served with citrus garnish, this is a martini you won't soon forget.