Thirsty in the city that never sleeps? From dirty gin delights to vodka classics with a twist, 50 Best has scoured New York’s bars to bring you the most unapologetically excellent martinis, whether you’re channelling James Bond or just in it for the olives.
Clemente Bar: Clemente Martini
(Image: Emily Setelin)
Clemente Bar was one of 2024’s most anticipated collabs, marrying the minds of chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park (The World’s Best Restaurant 2017) and Italian artist Francesco Clemente. Throughout the newly opened space, which sits above the lauded restaurant, Clemente’s breathtaking art is woven into every detail, from the patterned wooden walls, each of which is unique, to the knockout central painting that spans the entire backbar.
The bar feels like the natural extension of EMP downstairs, delivering second-to-none hospitality paired with a menu packed with profound and nuanced flavour combinations. Its namesake martini exemplifies this, leaning into punchy aromatics with vodka and gin fat-washed with green curry, rounded off with saffron and finished with vermouth-brined olive.
Pair it with: Clemente’s cucumber salad laced with chilli oil, or the adored agedashi ‘tofu dog’, served on a potato roll and topped with a generous shaving of black truffle.
Superbueno: Green Mango Martini
In its short lifespan, Superbueno has made a super-splash, debuting on the lists of North America’s 50 Best Bars at No.2 – the highest new entry in the ranking’s history – and No.27 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024, earning the London Essence Best New Opening Award in the process. At its heart, the bar is an homage to the Mexican-American experience, crafted and commanded by veteran bartender Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Jimenez.
Cocktails at Superbueno are deceptively simple, each imbued with Mexican influences. The Green Mango Martini, for example, forgoes the traditional base spirits in favour of tequila, infusing the agave distillate with green mango for 24 hours, before adding mango eau de vie, sauternes, honey and chili oil for a seriously refreshing and rounded martini rendition.
Pair it with: The addictive and seriously spicy birria grilled cheese.
Red Hook Tavern: Vesper Rosato
(Image: Red Hook Tavern)
Red Hook Tavern opened in 2019 as a modern revival of a traditional American neighbourhood eatery in suburban Brooklyn. Five years later, it's become a favoured dining destination for New York gourmets from all five boroughs, thanks to its cosy, always-buzzy atmosphere and simple yet sharp menu of homely classics from chef Billy Durney, who recently joined forces with the Kent Hospitality Group.
Eleven cocktails are available on the menu, each just as thoroughly thought-through as the food. The Vesper, made famous in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, is made with French vermouth, Italian bitters and orange blossom for its sweetness and subtle floral notes in the absence of Kina Lillet.
Pair it with: The 30-day dry-aged burger: Durney’s funky, chunky rebuttal to the thin smash patty phenomenon, served a perfect medium-rare and smothered in glistening American cheese. A perfect punchy counterpart to the delicate martini and worthy of its near-cult status.
Katana Kitten: Hinoki Martini
(Image: Noah Fecks)
In the West Village, Katana Kitten is a classic New York dive bar experience injected with a touch of Japanese flair. The space feels both singular and familiar, with dollar bills stapled to the dark wood beams, and art walls lined with Japanese versions of classic movie posters from the 1970s and 80s, from Conan the Barbarian to Star Wars.
Just as its look bridges the two cultures, the cocktails also bring together meticulous, detail-oriented Japanese style of bartending with easy-going dive bar concoctions, all devised by its ‘director of deliciousness’ Masahiro Urushido. The Hinoki Martini is a vesper variant, substituting dry vermouth for sake, and combining it with vodka, gin, sherry and a tincture made from hinoki wood, or Japanese cypress, for an earthy and slightly sweet rendition. The drink comes in a stemless glass nested in an ice-filled wooden box, keeping each sip super-chilled.
Pair it with: A serving of salt-rich, crinkle-cut nori fries for a moreish snack on the side.
Maison Premiere: Old King Cole Martini
Maison Premiere opened its doors in 2011 and has become a Williamsburg institution, thanks to its distinctive New Orleans-meets-NYC spirit. Stained wood, marble bar tops and ceiling fans give the space a timeless feel, and cocktails are fittingly elegant, with its martini a clear draw.
The Old King Cole Martini takes its name from the legendary bar inside The St. Regis New York, which has achieved icon status on the NYC bar scene. The inspired combination of overproof gin, extra dry vermouth and orange bitters is as classic as it gets, prepared and served tableside for an added element of old-school theatre, with garnishes of choice – whether olive or lemon twist – neatly presented on ice.
Pair it with: Maison Premiere is just as known for its oysters as it is its drinks list, so grab a dozen to go with the Old King Cole.
Martiny’s: The Grand Martiny-1.jpeg)
(Image: Todd Coleman)
Takuma Watanabe opened Martiny’s as his first solo venture following the closure of the formative New York bar, Angel’s Share. The three-storey Gramercy drinkery was a former carriage house owned by artist Philip Martiny – whose surname is pronounced like the drink – and has been transformed by Watanabe into a temple of Japanese-inflected luxury.
Honouring technique and process is the name of the game here, drawing on the Japanese concept of omotenashi. Expect warm towels on arrival and an eight-step cocktail list made to elicit the feel of a Japanese omakase experience. The Grand Martiny, a maroon-hued mixture of gin, sherry, port, cognac and elderflower liqueur, is rich and satisfying. Half-way through the drink, savour the marinated grape garnish to transform the cocktail's flavour profile.
Pair it with: Lean even further into the lap of luxury with the fried chicken karaage, topped with a generous mound of caviar.
Milady’s: Big Apple Martini
Milady’s was brought back to life by bartending heavyweights Julie Reiner, Christine Williams, Susan Federoff and chef-partner Sam Sherman in 2022 after sitting dormant for eight years. The reopening saw the venue hold onto its roots as an all-day (and night) neighbourhood hangout, but bolstered with a best-in-class cocktail programme.
The bar may not take itself too seriously, with bubble guns and an exuberant pop soundtrack a nightly staple, but its cocktail list is thoroughly considered. Take the Big Apple Martini, which isn’t just named after its hometown, but also as a playful nod to the fruit-forward martinis of yesteryear through a combination of granny smith-infused gin and vodka, apple brandy and vermouth. The bright green elixir, which also shimmers in the light thanks to edible glitter inside, is a punchy and masterful balance of tart, acidic and sweet, and on-brand for the always-fun ambience.
Pair it with: Try it with any of Milady’s comforting dive bar-inspired dishes, such as the chorizo mac and cheese.
Dante: Dante Martini
Dante originally opened in Greenwich Village in 1915 as an Italian café, with Aussie-born power couple Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson taking the reins in 2015. Under new ownership, the chic aperitivo spot quickly gained fame, named The World’s Best Bar 2019, and making modern American drinkers fall back in love with the negroni in the process. A sister location in the West Village opened in 2020 and a third in LA’s Beverly Hills outpost in 2023.
Across each location, Dante’s doesn’t hugely deviate from tradition, leaning into the timeless elegance of aperitivo culture. Five variations of martini are available, but the namesake version is the go-to. Choose either vodka or gin, in which two vermouths are stirred with lemon liqueur and olive and lemon bitters. Garnish comes in the form of a tricolour of olives stacked at the bottom of the glass.
Pair it with: Swing by between 3pm-5pm for the Martini Hour, where you can pick one up for just $10, leaving extra cash for a few more rounds and a plate of wild boar ragu pappardelle.
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