Winners For

Best Martini

The Fairmont Olympic's Terrace Lounge, with its upholstered Empire club chairs, patterned carpet, and tabletop flowers, hosts downtown's poshest happy hour. There's even a piano player on weekend nights. But sophistication is remarkably affordable here: A double-pour martini made with Plymouth gin goes for an astounding $7, and is so perfectly p...

Carrie Bradshaw and her gang of high-heeled NYC ladies popularized the art of drinking pink martinis. However, there are two things Ms. Bradshaw never told us: (1) Walking in heels while attempting to sip from a martini glass isn't easy; and (2) cosmopolitans may look pretty, but they're rough going down the hatch. Luckily, places like Dapur kno...

There are more than 20 specialty martinis on the menu at this power-lunch destination, from the simple Lemon Drop (Grey Goose Citrus and Banfi Limoncello) to more involved concoctions like the Red Razz Royale (Bacardi Razz, Red Bull, raspberries, and sparkling wine). The Lychee B and Big City Cosmopolitan are other popular choices, but you can a...

The grape martini at this popular Wilton Manors bar snagged the New Times award for Best Specialty Drink in 2010, in part for the reported curative properties of the Welch's grape juice used in the mix. This is the signature drink at Matty's, where clubhoppers line up to fortify themselves with the bargain-priced beverage before heading back to ...

Can't let go of the days when every sexy woman in the club was tottering around on her spiked heels with a pinkish-hued cocktail sloshing to the edges of her martini glass? This swanky chain has dozens of specialty martinis with such Carrie Bradshaw-reminiscent choices as the Cosmopolitan and the aptly named Sex and the City (vodka, peach schnap...

This Himmarshee hot spot has brought a Miami nightclub staple to the Broward crowd with the sugary-sweet lychee martini. The lychee (pronounced lee-chee) concoction tastes a bit like sweetened pears with a spear of fruit to garnish the cocktail. If savory is more your style, there's also a dirty martini with bacon-wrapped, blue-cheese-stuffed ol...

You can go shockingly sweet with specialty "martinis" like the Twizzler (served with a Twizzler straw, naturally) or the Snickerdoodle. Or stick to the menu of signature 'tinis, where you'll find icons like the no-frills James Bond (do you even need to ask how it's prepared?) and the George Clooney, a real man's drink with vodka, dry vermouth, a...

Art deco gem the National Hotel was built in 1939 and, coincidentally, the clock above the bar is stopped at 7:39. For all you conspiracy theorists, 7:39 p.m. is 19:39 in 24-hour time. Legend says the clock stopped there so everyone could go back in time to the golden age of romance and glamour. We say the clock stopped there so it's always mart...

Like silent films, old-school in the martini realm does not mean boring. Nor is there much to be said of the dry martini at Musso & Frank Grill that hasn't been said already. Yes, they know how to make a classic Old Hollywood sipper — even after longtime barman Manny Felix retired after 40 years of infamous red-jacket stirring. And a martini her...

These days, bars tend to play it fast and loose with their martinis, slapping disparate fruits and herbs together with vodka and calling it good. MercBar is as guilty as anyone on this, though their mixtures — like the Espresso Martini made with Stoli Vanilla and Bailey's — are better-crafted than most. But to us, a true martini is made with lot...

If you need proof that quality and quantity are not mutually exclusive, look no further than The Davenport martini. Non-purists will appreciate all of the well-crafted martini "varieties" (more than 30!), but the original classic (a frosty balance of gin, dry vermouth and a splash of olive juice) is truly potable art. More than one might even kn...

The classic martini can be an intimidating drink: no frills, challenging stemware, packs a boozy wallop. Rather than get all hoity-toity about it, Absolutli Goosed aims to educate. "Our talented staff is here assist you in any way they can," the cocktail menu says sweetly, before laying out in four simple steps the proper way to order as smooth ...

Half of what makes the martini at Park Avenue is the atmosphere; the tiny, Googie-style bar wedged into the front of Stanton's best restaurant makes you want to dust off the skinny ties and plastic, square-rimmed eyeglasses. Sit down and actually discuss what you want in a martini with the distinguished bartender. If you want a classic variety—g...

While Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club may be best known for its phenomenal female impersonators, the martini list could make any diva sing. Sure, you can go for a Cosmo or a chocolate martini, but try some of the more exotic choices for a real treat. Sip on a Coco Loco, made with rum, vodka, banana liqueur, pineapple, and crème de coconut, or perha...

Drinking martinis makes us feel like adults. You know, the vodka, the olives, the smoky lounges, the distinctive glasses they're served in. You kind of can't help feeling like you've arrived when you sip the classic cocktail. That's why we like The Drop. The ambiance is upscale but easygoing, and they've got about 13 different martinis on their ...

Like a classic speakeasy, there's no sign identifying the Franklin. You'll see a doorman outside, and that's it. But once you walk down the steps and through the door, you will enter the best cocktail spot in Philadelphia. They only make one martini, and it's a classic: dry vermouth and gin with a lemon twist, and stirred. Perfection in a glass.

Cross through the unmarked door into a masterful if not slightly pretentious atmosphere to imbibe slightly more expensive drinks. Exclusive? Yes. You have to know where this place is to find it. It is literally a black door. No sign. No one out front. Nothing. Once inside, it's another black door, a host stand, and some stairs. The only thing mi...

Sure, bartender Todd Maul’s masterful mixology lends itself to the creation of mouthwatering cocktails (the bar menu boasts more than 80 libations), but crafting a well-balanced martini also requires no shortage of skill. Whether it’s the famed chilled tomato version with an olive or the more straightforward, dirty gin variety, Maul slings his ‘...

With a specially designated martini menu, this upscale bar and eatery offers the most creative versions of this drink in the city—if not the state. Of course there are standard varieties, which are wit-sharpening and cool, but the draw here are the specialties. Categories include Fruity (like Cherry Bomb and Mandarin), Tart (Pink Lemonade and Ci...

Grey Goose, check. Olives, check. Forty stories above ground level, check. Top of the Hyatt will shed some perspective on how small things seem from above. Let your work and life stresses melt away as you gaze at the ocean and city lights while sipping your martini of choice. They might not have fancy or whimsical names, but what they lack in cr...

Blue Martini Lounge offers 42 martinis, including the signature Blue Martini (Gogh Blue Vodka, Cointreau, Blue Curacao, sour mix, and orange juice served in an oversized snifter over ice with a glow stick) and the Pomerita, which subs gin or vodka for Herradura Silver tequila, adding pomegranate liqueur, Cointreau, and sour mix. Sip the stirring...

Somewhere inside award-winning bar Bad Decisions is the martini of your dreams. Want something dirty or sweet, spicy or sour? Bartender- owner John Reusing can make it happen for you. Not sure what to order? Try the popular Pickle Martini, made with vodka, a splash of dill pickle brine, Cholula hot sauce, and garnished with a dill pickle spear. ...

Cucumber, chocolate, and cilantro all find their way into martinis (though not the same one, thankfully) at this delightfully modern lounge that serves a whopping 44 variations on the classic cocktail. Vault’s most popular martinis are classified on the 7 Deadly Sins menu—a drink for every deviation. Go during happy hour and pay just $5 for most...

In keeping with its wine country theme, this beautifully designed eatery could easily rely solely on its selection of 200 wines, but thankfully, there’s excellent food and an entire menu of creatively crafted martinis. Have yours dirty, or try one garnished with fresh slices of jalapeno, mixed with guava nectar, or topped with house-made sweet a...

Long before the cocktail trend exploded and imitators popped up slinging bacon-infused this and that, the Velvet Tango Room was mixing classic cocktails in a nondescript building in Duck Island. Co-owner Paulius Nasvytis bought the house and opened his bar in 1996 with a simple set of rules. Be a gentleman, open doors for ladies, don't wear hats...

If you’re drinking vodka martinis, then it makes sense to go Russian at this restaurant bar with a private vodka vault, frozen ice bar, and extensive vodka selection. Can’t-miss choices are the Siberian, the Kremlin, and Commie Mommy, which comes in a 32-ounce martini glass for group sipping.

Year after year, the bar at the beautiful Driskill Hotel gets the nod for some of the best martinis in Austin, and it is well-deserved. A little-known fact to residents is that hotel bars often serve not only the best drinks but offer some of the best deals too. In the case of the Driskill, their skilled bartenders serve up the famous drink in s...

Nashville cocktail culture has been on the rise as of late, but it's still tough to top this longtime Midtown favorite when it comes to a swank environment and a tasty martini. Be sure to get all ginned up on their rooftop bar.

Located in the chic Hotel Providence on Westminster Street, Aspire is worth checking out for an after-work or apres-dinner cocktail. Their specialty martinis (such as the Blushing Pear, made with Grey Goose La Poire, St. Germain, and white grapefruit juice) taste even better in the courtyard, where there is weekly live jazz.

With so many contemporary-cocktail choices out there, you don't want a mixologist messing with your martini — throwing in fruit and chocolate or, God forbid, edging the glass with chile powder. You want your martini as classic as the atmosphere in which it's served. And for that, you want Elway's. Grab a seat at the bar, tell bar manager Ky Belk...