Here at VinePair, we’ve all got our personal Martini specs locked in. But as drinks experts, it’s our job to stay on top of all the Martinis on everyone’s minds and tables — from the classic to the culty to the downright crazy. And if there’s anything we like more than a perfectly constructed cocktail, it’s a little friendly competition. That’s why we spent months tasting, testing, and scoring 32 of the five boroughs' most talked-about Martinis. Each week, they went head-to-head based on quality, garnish, style, and everything else that makes a Martini monumental until only one remained. Here, our full Martini Madness breakdown — and which Martini secured the top spot.
The Grill
Hawksmoor
Veronika
Dear Irving
Gage &
Tollner
The Nines
Bemelmans
Le Rock
The Tusk
Bar
Katana
Kitten
Chez Zou
Bonnie's
Temple Bar
Lullaby
Bar
Blondeau
Martiny's
The Campbell
Apartment
Jac's on Bond
Long Island
Bar
Lobby Bar
Tigre
Keens
The Odeon
Bar Goto
Superbueno
Dutch Kills
Sugar Monk
Dante
Eleven
Madison Park
Madeline's
Martini
Shinji's
The Grill
Dear Irving
Maison Premiere
The Nines
The Tusk Bar
Katana Kitten
Bonnie's
Bar Blondeau
The Campbell
Apartment
Long Island Bar
Lobby Bar
Keens
Bar Goto
Dutch Kills
Eleven
Madison Park
Shinji's
SWEET 16
Dear Irving
Maison Premiere
The Tusk Bar
Bonnie's
Long Island Bar
Lobby Bar
Bar Goto
Eleven
Madison Park
Eleven
Madison Park
Maison Premiere
Lobby Bar
Bonnie's
Maison Premiere
FULL BRACKET
Eleven Madison Park
Maison
Premiere
Click to reveal the winner
Maison Premiere
Old King Cole
After stepping into this Williamsburg cocktail institution, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve spontaneously time-traveled to a New Orleans of centuries-past. And after our last visit, the program’s showstopping Old King Cole Martini alone could convince us to leave the present behind. Each step of the Martini’s construction is performed tableside — or in our case, at the grand-U-shaped bar — beginning with a V-glass filled with crushed ice being placed in front of us to chill. While that turned frosty, our bartender stirred Angostura bitters and a quarter-ounce of dry vermouth with freezer-cold Old Raj Gin, which was chosen as the star spirit for its overproof bite and saffron note. After tossing the ice, the bartender slow-poured the viscous build into our glass a few inches from our nose, then set down a lemon twist and three skewered olives atop more ice as a dealer’s-choice garnish. We opted for both, because why show restraint now? The result was pure magic: the cocktail was perfectly balanced and colder than cold, and the strength of the saffron-laced gin imbued just enough edge. In short: this Martini is unforgettable.
Maison Premiere
Old king cole
ELITE 8
FINAL 4
CHAMPIONSHIP
The swanky restaurant from Major Food Group turns guests over fast, so it's no surprise the popular house Martini is a pre-batched affair. But it's a damn good batch. The assertive blend of Tanqueray gin, Plymouth gin, and dry vermouth was poured into a heavy and phenomenally frosty V-glass. With an almost syrupy mouthfeel and hint of buttery brine from a green olive garnish, it captured the signature, satisfying magic of a Midtown Martini. We’d happily return to indulge in it for happy hours to come.
The Grill
House Martini
Gramercy steakhouse Hawksmoor is serious about its cocktail program. And given that its first location opened in 2006 in equally Martini-obsessed London, it makes sense that the New York menu’s Ultimate Martini showcases that same care. The bar keeps a batched blend of Hepple Gin and Aperitivo Co. Dry Vermouth insulated and radically cold before it’s served in a compact coupe and topped with Filicudi lemon oil. Our Martini arrived with a side of olives for good measure. The citrus oil added a lovely brightness to the ice-cold cocktail — like a bone-dry, more elegant answer to a lemon ice-pop — resulting in a crisp, clean interpretation.
Hawksmoor
ULTIMATE Martini
Verōnika, a luxe hideaway inside Flatiron’s Fotografiska Museum, has an air of exclusivity thanks to some members-only rules surrounding its weekend reservations. We landed a seat in the bar area, and opted for the most extravagant cocktail on the menu: The Reserve Martini. Made with Chopin Family Reserve Vodka, it was offered dry, dusted (spritzed with atomized vermouth), or wet — we went with dry. It arrived atop a silver tray, flanked by two elegant accouterments alike in dignity and deliciousness: a startlingly briny dwarf peach and a teeny potato topped with sour cream and a small dollop of Osetra caviar. The Martini itself was bone-dry as promised, though we expected a creamier edge from the potato-based vodka. While the small bites it was served with were thoughtful, the Martini’s $50 price tag (and that’s before tip) was a little too hard to swallow on the value front.
Veronika
RESERVE Martini
With its crystalline curtains, velvet seating, and Marie Antoinette-themed private room, Dear Irving still feels as whimsical as it did when it opened in 2014. Another pillar of that whimsy: the house Gibson. When we took our first sip, it was notably sweeter than most we’ve encountered, but then again, this isn’t your average Gibson. Created by mixologist Meaghan Dorman, the build incorporates citrusy Tanqueray No. Ten, a full ounce of Carpano Bianco, and the housemade brine that the drink’s finishing touch — a fat red onion that appears candy-pink under the bar’s low light — is pickled in. The bianco vermouth and Champagne vinegar-based brine brought a puckery sweetness to the drink akin to bread-and-butter pickles, but the cocktail never skewed too saccharine. When our bartender suggested eating the whole garnish, we expected an allium-bomb that might render the palate useless. But after crunching down on it, the magenta bulb tasted surprisingly delicate, and perfectly complementary to the drink.
Dear Irving
Gibson
Downtown Brooklyn’s Gage & Tollner first opened its doors in 1879. And though it was only just revived in its current steakhouse form in 2021, sitting down at the marbled bar among the mirrored walls and golden details transported us right back to the Gilded Age, Delorean-style. Its Classic Gin Martini felt equally as nostalgic: stirred expertly with a quarter-ounce of vermouth, it was served in a weighty V-glass with a lemon twist (expressed and swiped around the rim) with a sidecar packed in crushed ice. This Martini might not reinvent the wheel, but that wheel is pulling Cinderella’s magic-made carriage.
Gage & Tollner
Classic gin martini
The house Gibson at The Nines is a simple yet sophisticated blend of Ford’s Gin and Dolin Blanc. Its profile was clean and balanced, and ambled through savory, sweet, and tangy territory all in one sip. And the garnish? Possibly the biggest red cocktail onion we’d ever seen. It was a three-biter, and the farmer responsible for it probably deserves some kind of prize. When sipping the drink in between bites, unexpected Italian sub-like notes came to the forefront alongside a viscous, creamy mouthfeel. Truth be told, this Gibson is an absolute banger, and reason alone to check out The Nines if you haven’t already.
The Nines
Gibson
After waiting in line for over an hour, we were finally ushered into the Carlyle Hotel’s famous Bemelmans Bar. The menu’s star Martini, Madeline’s Vesper, had no newfangled cordials, shrubs, or spritzes — it’s simply a Vesper done well. Composed of Bombay Sapphire gin, Grey Goose vodka, and Cocchi Americano, the drink arrived in a large glass with a lemon twist and a white ribbon tied around the stem. It was ice cold, balanced on all fronts, and the Cocchi Americano imparted a nice cinnamon note on the finish that complemented the lemon twist garnish perfectly. Plus, it came with a sidecar and a trio of bar snacks. There was a catch, though: After the cover charge, drink, and tip, our bill came out to $60. It was a tough pill to swallow, even for a Martini this good.
Bemelmans Bar
Madeline's VESPER
Rockefeller Center’s Le Rock is an uber-trendy spot and has the Martini menu to prove it. We went for the bone-dry Super Sec. Its overproof Old Raj gin served up a blast of juniper from nose to finish, with clean yet forceful hits of lemon and pepper throughout. The sheer amount of alcohol in this Martini gives it a weighty mouthfeel, and the tango of extra dry and blanc vermouths imparted a subtle kiss of fresh herbs and sweetness. If you fancy an assertive Martini, the Super Sec will satisfy.
Le Rock
SUPER SEC
The headlining Martini at The Tusk Bar — a new cozy, dimly-lit spot at the Evelyn Hotel — is the Mignonette Gibson, made with Ford’s gin, Dolin Blanc vermouth, black pepper, and housemade shallot vinegar. Its initial, vanilla-like sweetness eventually gave way to the briney shallot flavor on the finish. The vinegar was really the star of the show, taking top billing right along with the build’s gin and vermouth. The garnish: a tightly rolled up pickled red onion slice that’s criminally scrumptious, and serves as both a snack and Trojan horse of salinity that counteracts the drink’s sweetness. It’s a Gibson characterized by a different breed of brine, and we’re here for it. Classic or not, The Tusk Bar’s approach to Martini-building is one we respect.
The Tusk Bar
Mignonette gibson
West Village cocktail institution Katana Kitten’s signature Hinoki Martini oozes with woodsy Japanese flavors but still hits the spot like a traditional gin spec. It’s made with Grey Goose vodka, Spring44 Mountain Gin, Junmai Daiginjo sake, fino sherry, and hinoki cypress tree essence. Served in an ice-filled wooden box, it was smooth, cold, and evolved with each sip: the harder spirits met us at the door, while the floral subtleties of the sake and hinoki essence revealed themselves on the back-end. These notes were only enhanced by the brininess of its dual garnish: a crunchy pearl onion and a creamy green olive. The final takeaway was akin to a high-end mineral water Martinified — and we mean that in the best way.
Katana Kitten
HINOKI MARTINI
The Martini is a highly personal drink, and Chez Zou brilliantly lets drinkers take the reins with their dirty interpretation. The Dirty Zou arrived in a dual-chambered vessel: the larger of the two containing olive oil vodka, and the smaller housing a grape leaf brine and a large sprig of dill. The drink is a textural exploration thanks to its viscous, fat-rounded spirit, and no matter how much brine we poured into the glass, there was never a moment when the salinity became too bracing. The drink’s assortment of olives — served on an accompanying tray — provided a varied mid-drink snack, but didn’t take the cocktail in a surprising new direction. For those seeking a mellower approach to the Dirty experience, let the Dirty Zou be your guide.
Chez Zou
DIRTY ZOU
When the Dirty Martini craze took over in 2022, we were admittedly skeptical about the avante-garde interpretations cropping up on every corner. But among them would emerge an all-timer: the MSG Martini at Williamsburg’s Cantonese-American hotspot, Bonnie’s. There, the house Martini puts the spotlight on super-umami MSG, which lends a robust savoriness and luscious viscosity to the drink. Further dirtied with a bit of olive brine, the Martini was offered with either Grey Goose vodka or The Botanist gin. We opted for gin, which provided a vibrant, herbal backbone to the build and made for a delightful complement to the shaoxing wine subbed in for the standard vermouth. Inventive, punchy, and downright delicious, the MSG Martini brings the Dirty Martini to new heights.
Bonnie's
MSG MARTINI
Following a four-year shutdown, the low-lit and luxurious Temple Bar reopened in 2021 thanks in part to legendary mixologists Michael McIlroy and Sam Ross. The NoHo bar’s expansive drinks list consists of over 25 cocktails, nine of which are Martinis that pay homage to the bar’s history. We went with the Olive Oil Martini for its straightforward composition, consisting of a 2:1 mix of gin and olive oil-washed blanc and dry vermouths. While wonderfully satisfying for the first few ice-cold sips, we found the Martini slightly more challenging as it warmed. Pleasantly viscous and round overall, the ‘tini skewed more mellow than we anticipated, so those expecting a savory punch may wish to opt for the bar’s Dirty Vodka variation.
Temple Bar
OLIVE OIL MARTINI
Hidden away in a subterranean space on the Lower East Side, you could easily walk right by Lullaby — but its cocktail program shouldn’t be overlooked. That includes the house Martini, an ice-cold combination of olive oil-infused gin and blanc vermouth served with three skewered olives. It was straightforward going down, and that’s what made it so great. Ideal for both dirty and dry drinkers alike, the Martini was crisp and herbaceous, and a whisper of savoriness provided a delightful balance. Plus at $18, it felt like a true steal by New York standards.
Lullaby
THE MARTINI
Meeting at the crossroads of a Martini, a Vesper, and a Gibson, Bar Blondeau’s Blonde Martini is made with Malfy gin, cucumber vodka, and a touch of vermouth that softened the spirits’ harsher edges. Rather than expressing citrus over the cocktail, our bartender instead incorporated lemon oil directly into the signature spec and garnished it with an olive and house-pickled onion. Refreshing and refined, the Blonde Martini paired particularly well with the rooftop bar’s sweeping views of Manhattan — especially at sunset.
Bar Blondeau
BLONDE MARTINI
Martiny’s is an innovative Gramercy cocktail bar founded by Takuma Watanabe, the bartender behind NYC institution Angel’s Share. With its combination of gin, sherry, 2016 Porto, St-Germain, cognac, and grapes, this cocktail firmly leans into the grape theme and leaves tradition behind. If you’re someone who’s into a sherry-forward Martini, this version brings it to the next level.
Martiny's
GRAND MARTINY'S
Hidden among the train lines at Grand Central Terminal, there’s a Gilded-Age bar with a 25-foot hand-painted ceiling and grand stone fireplace. Often packed with Midtown workers and Westchester commuters, it’s a worthy, if crowded, destination for the Vesper. Made with Monkey 47 gin, Absolut Elyx, and Lillet Blanc, it drank true-to-style, and the higher-end ingredients added nice aromatic complexity. It’s a great drink — even if you’re enjoying it shoulder-to-shoulder with an entire investment bank — and though it doesn’t offer anything new or flashy, it’s incredibly classic.
The Campbell
Apartment
VESPER
In 2023, the buzzy Caprese Martini catapulted Jac’s on Bond onto the scene. The cocktail, which boasts a fat cherry tomato as a garnish, tapped into several of-the-moment trends with its eye-catching presentation, savory flavor profile, and nod to a classic Italian dish. It’s made with tomato-and basil-infused Grey Goose vodka, Lustau blanco sherry, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, so the build is as on-the-nose as it gets. The bold flavor profile drifts a bit too far from what we crave from a Martini, but if caprese salads are your thing, head to this NoHo haunt for an elevated liquid version.
Jac's on Bond
Caprese martini
Long Island Bar’s take on the Martini is similar to the establishment’s persona as a whole: unassuming and no-frills, but with some serious skill behind it. The iconic bar’s variation looks and tastes relatively true to the classic style, but it incorporates some playful twists like Dassai 50 Junmai Daiginjo Sake and a housemade bergamot-and-pomelo tincture. Both these additions provide bright aromatics that make you forget the lack of garnish. In an era where flashy presentations get top-billing, it’s refreshing to find a build that’s modest yet still inventive.
Long Island Bar
A Martini
One of New York’s best Martinis takes its cues from across the pond. Known, loved, and revered for its strength, the Duke’s Martini — modeled after the drink of the same name at Duke’s hotel bar in London — is made with a mere suggestion of vermouth and a hefty pour of freezer-cold vodka or gin at Hotel Chelsea’s Lobby Bar. We opted for the gin version, which is poured tableside from a massive bottle of Tanqueray No. Ten. The cocktail was served with a sidecar of vermouth, a lemon peel, and three olives as a DIY-garnish situation. Overall, the Martini’s intensity and the theatrical service makes it unforgettable.
Lobby Bar
the DUKE'S MARTINI
The new Lower East Side bar and lounge from the Maison Premiere team harkens back to the ‘70s and ‘80s with its retro animal-print fabrics, gold accents, and disco-era cocktails. The bar takes the theme a step further with the head-turning Cigarette Martini, which channels the old-school vibes of sipping a stiff drink while puffing a cigarette. The cocktail manages to hit all of the right savory, smoky notes from the addition of Empirical Spirits Charlene Mcgee, a spirit made from smoked juniper berries. This cocktail might skew a little smoke-heavy for some, but it’s one of the most creative in the latest wave of the craze.
Tigre
Cigarette martini
One could reasonably argue that steakhouse Martinis should be considered a specific category of cocktails, immune to the shifting tides of trends and consistent in their disregard for vermouth, fancy spirits, and any vessel other than a jumbo-sized, V-shaped glass. The dry gin concoction stirred up hundreds of times per day at Midtown’s Keens Steakhouse ticks all those boxes, and may even be the standard bearer for the genre in NYC. Greenall’s gin’s unexpected occupancy of the well is the only real point of note on the ingredient front. Meanwhile, the preparation proved swift and precise and yielded a boozy but ultimately balanced cocktail, with the onus lying on the drinker to finish such a gargantuan proposition before it warms to room temp.
Keens Steakhouse
DRY GIN MARTINI
Words like fixture, institution, and icon are dished out all too liberally in descriptions of New York dining and drinking establishments, but they’re warranted in the case of neon-signed brasserie The Odeon. There’s no Martini on the menu here, nor a house spec, as a brief inquiry to the bartender revealed. But they were helpful in suggesting a minor ($1) upgrade to Beefeater from the well gin, and diligently stirred, strained, and garnished a fittingly beefy pour. Service: impeccable. Upon close inspection and scrutiny, however, the cocktail mirrored the minor flaws and slightly tired feel of the room. A room-temperature V-shaped glass did little to aid, let alone mask, oxidized Dolin Dry vermouth. Thankfully, little of that made it into the drink, and a zingy lemon twist helped freshen each sip.
The Odeon
DRY GIN MARTINI
Among the biggest takeaways from this entire exercise has been the difficulty of serving a bonafide, proprietary riff that remains true to the soul of the Martini. How can a bar pry purists from their preferred formula and not leave them wishing they’d ultimately ordered that faithful, 5:1 gin Martini with two dashes of bitters and a discarded twist? In Lower East Side stalwart Bar Goto's eponymous offering, the answer lies in a pickled green tomato garnish. It seems conceived by a three-Michelin-starred chef, and looks like a perfect olive whose tense exterior encases a savory, sweet, and umami celebratory explosion. Arriving at that crucial crescendo involves sipping through a dry duo of characterful vodka and aged sake. Leave a sip or two to pair with the bite, or otherwise order a side of kombu-seasoned celery, and fish out that pickled prize with the accompanying chopsticks.
Bar Goto
Bar GOTO MARTINI
Superbueno burst onto New York’s bar scene in April 2023 and quickly gained legions of fans for its lively atmosphere and inventive Mexican-American cocktails. The bar’s singular, signature Green Mango Martini includes green-mango-infused tequila, mango eau de vie, Sauternes sweet wine, and honey syrup. It’s bright and refreshing, and almost crushable in a way that a standard Martini is not. Despite the unavoidable sweetness, its profile was balanced, and the “supporting” ingredients served to suppress tequila’s livelier characteristics in a way that anyone who’s tried to mix the spirit with vermouth will appreciate. Harmonious and visually stunning, magic awaits in the costeño chile oil garnish, which delivered an unexpected jolt of savory complexity when mixed with the elixir atop which it floats.
Superbueno
GREEN MANGO MARTINI
As the neighborhood around it changes at breakneck speed, and every passing year seems to mark the loss of another beloved cocktail-renaissance-era bar in New York, Dutch Kills soldiers on defiantly. Classics like the Martini, Manhattan, and Old Fashioned don’t populate the menu at this craft cocktail altar, but just as at other bars in owner Richard Boccato’s mini empire, Dutch Kills has a finely-tuned house spec for each. In the case of the Martini, that’s a 2:1 combo of Aria Classic Dry Gin and Dolin Dry vermouth, with a sizable lemon twist that threatens to leap out of the ice-cold glass like a certain early-‘90s orca whale escaping an amusement park.
Dutch Kills
DRY GIN MARTINI
Located a stone’s throw from Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater, Sugar Monk styles itself as an “homage to the uptown speakeasies of Harlem's past.” The off-menu Dry Gin Martini continues that theme with a classic preparation, simple yet stunning twist garnish, and vintage-style glassware. Hayman’s gin and Method dry vermouth sang a delightful duet during our visit, the perfect accompaniment to the live jazz performance in the background.
Sugar Monk
DRY GIN MARTINI
Dante might be best known for its classic Negroni or fluffy Garibaldi, but the Italianate bar’s namesake Martini is a worthwhile order. Poured straight into a large, V-shaped glass fresh from the freezer, this pre-batched take features gin (Ford’s), vodka (Ketel One), dry and blanc vermouth, a hit of grappa-based lemon liqueur, and olive and lemon bitters. Three fat, multicolor olives stay sunken at the bottom of the glass, a welcome snack throughout the drinking experience. For those looking for a slightly sweeter Martini, this is an imaginative iteration that still manages to hit the spot — especially that very first ice-cold sip.
Dante
DANTE MARTINI
As far as we’re concerned, the bar at Eleven Madison Park is one of New York’s better kept secrets; selfishly, we’d like it to stay that way. But what the beverage team is doing there is impressive and worthy of acclaim. The Leek cocktail, EMP’s take on the classic Martini, makes use of the alliums featured on the kitchen’s seasonal menu. The drink’s dry vermouth is infused with caramelized leeks, onions, and garlic, which gives the final cocktail a vegetal savoriness that balances well with its other components: a blend of Japanese and Irish gins, Blanche Armagnac, and Salers Apéritif. A robust pickled cocktail onion provided a tasty garnish that added to the drink’s appeal as an inventive, culinary take on a Martini. At $26, it’s not cheap, though there are certainly many more expensive options in this city. But it was exceedingly good, and given the setting and the institution’s renowned hospitality, was beyond worth it.
Eleven Madison Park
LEEK MARTINI
Opened in 2023 (cleverly, at the height of the Martini craze), Madeline’s Martini in Alphabet City is a vibe-forward spot where guests can order from a menu featuring over a dozen Martinis and Martini-style cocktails. For those looking for a classic take, though, what you’ll find at Madeline’s is pretty straightforward. Choose vodka or gin with olives, a lemon twist, or onions and you’ll get a cold Martini served in a big V glass. (We opted for gin, which was Citadelle, though other brands could certainly be called for.) Three speared Manzanilla olives were a fitting garnish that met expectations, but, like the cocktail itself, didn’t exceed them. For the bar’s regulars, a simple Martini is totally suitable among flirtier options like a Lemon Drop or Bikini Martini, but for the purposes of this competition, we’ll seek other more superlative versions.
Madeline's
Martini
The CLASSIC MARTINI
Like the physical space at Shinji’s, the drinks at the intimate cocktail bar have a certain flair. There’s no simple or classic version of anything; it’s all reinvented or reimagined or very finely-tuned. This applies to the Honeypenny cocktail, a playful take on the Vesper. It includes the requisite gin, but gets its sweet and bitter characteristics from vodka infused with golden raisins and cinchona bark, honey, and dandelion mead. (Beeswax provides texture.) It’s all concocted — ultrasonic homogenization is listed as an ingredient — and batched in advance of service. For added magic, a deep V glass is theatrically rinsed with liquid nitrogen, which provides an instantly ice-cold vessel before it’s filled with the cocktail and garnished with an expressed-then-discarded lemon twist. The resulting drink was a refined and more delicious Vesper than any we’d ever had.
Shinji's
HONEYPENNY VESPER
Credits
Co-founders
Adam Teeter
Joshua Malin
Editorial
Taylore Glynn Tim McKirdy Pete O’Connell Joanna Sciarrino Hannah Staab Olivia White
Design & Art Direction
Danielle Grinberg
Photography
Jeff Brown
The Grill’s headliner was crisp, classic, and stone-cold smooth, and it barely beat out Hawksmoor’s lemon oil-tilted offering.
The accouterments served with Verōnika’s Reserve Martini were stand-outs, but a housemade brine and bold garnish gave Dear Irving’s sweet and singular Gibson the edge.
The Nines’ Gibson and Bemelmans Bar’s Vesper stood toe-to-toe in quality and taste, but with tip and cover charge tacked onto the UES institution’s bill, the Gibson’s price tag was easier to swallow.
Gage & Tollner's house spec and sidecar were as classic as could be, but Maison Premiere's showstopping Old King Cole is a true knockout.
Le Rock and The Tusk Bar have their batched Martini games on lock, but the latter’s Mignonette Gibson picked up extra points with its rolled onion garnish and housemade shallot vinegar.
Though the dirty offering at Chez Zou scored big for presentation and personalization, Katana Kitten's cool, woody Hinoki Martini captivated with its complexity.
Temple Bar’s Olive Oil Martini offered nice savory notes, but it couldn’t quite hold up to Bonnie’s umami-driven MSG Martini on value or innovation.
Bar Blondeau’s botanical Blonde variation and its extra-briny garnish pulled out the win against Lullaby’s pleasantly savory olive oil Martini.
The Vesper at The Campbell Apartment triumphed with its finesse and traditional profile, though we were still taken by the colorful presentation and sherry-forward tilt of Martiny’s Grand Martini.
Jac’s on Bond flexed with its Caprese-inspired build, but the subtle, sake-driven complexity of Long Island Bar’s Martini played the long game.
Tigre broke the mold with its smoky Cigarette Martini, but the classic Duke’s Martini served tableside at Hotel Chelsea’s Lobby Bar made a lasting impression.
While both spots are NYC icons, Keens' dry gin Martini comfortably beat that of The Odeon on quality, size, price, and precision.
Superbueno's inventive Green Mango Martini is a cocktail for the ages, but the crisp, clean Bar Goto Martini and its delightful pickled green tomato garnish stole the show.
Dutch Kills and Sugar Monk are both worthy of a detour, but the Queens institution's Martini proved more balanced and better executed than the Harlem cocktail lounge’s spec.
The Dante Martini was a clever twist on the classic, but couldn't surpass Eleven Madison Park's savory Leek variation, which triumphed on originality and style.
Madeline’s Martini's straightforward gin build with olives was no match for Shinji's Honeypenny, a magical, honeyed take on the Vesper.
An undoubtedly tough match-up of celebrated veteran against lauded newcomer, Eleven Madison Park's onion-topped Leek Martini just eked out the win against Shinji's velvet-smooth Honeypenny.
Rather than quality, this square-off was a question of classical versus innovative. Bar Goto beat Dutch Kills by a nose with its Martini's fabulous pickled tomato garnish.
Keens represents the gold standard for the old-school steakhouse Martini, but Lobby Bar offered an evolution on that — still boozy and super dry, but more considered and “cocktailian.”
The Vesper at The Campbell Apartment is as satisfying as a classic can be, but the housemade bergamot-and-pomelo tincture in Long Island Bar’s Martini secured its lead.
Though dead-locked in quality and value, Bonnie’s MSG-infused stunner edged out Bar Blondeau's bright Blonde Martini on originality.
Katana Kitten’s Hinoki Martini brought the smoke in presentation and composition, but the sweet and saline triumph of the Mignonette Gibson just clinched the win for The Tusk Bar.
Maison Premiere’s tableside service and deft use of Old Raj gin were too exemplary to ignore, though we’d happily return to The Nines for its bold yet balanced Gibson.
Though we’d happily drink The Grill’s bracingly cold Martini again, its pre-batched build was bested by the intricate elements of Dear Irving’s Gibson.
The sweet, satisfying Gibson at Dear Irving gave its all with intricate elements and a one-of-a-kind garnish, but Maison Premiere’s jab-cross of masterful composition and inspired spirit choice handily claimed this round.
The components of Maison Premiere's Old King Cole
While Bonnie’s and The Tusk Bar both put up outstanding Martinis we savored to the last drop, the former’s originality and stylistic specs couldn’t be topped.
The components of Bonnie's MSG Martini
The simple yet delightfully aromatic A Martini at Long Island Bar put up a good fight, but the iconic presentation of the Duke’s Martini at Lobby Bar proved too hard to beat.
The components of Lobby Bar's Duke's Martini
On overall quality and garnish, Bar Goto's sake-tinged Martini and Eleven Madison Park's Leek variation both more than exceeded expectations. But on originality and complexity, EMP won by a nose.
The components of Eleven Madison Park's Leek Martini
For a freezer-cold Martini that’s spirit-forward — as in gin poured straight from the bottle — Lobby Bar’s tribute to London’s legendary Duke’s is a hit. But Eleven Madison Park’s savory Leek variation, with its superb house-pickled onion, won out for its seamless complexity.
Eleven Madison Park's Bar Director, Sebastian Tollius serves the Leek Martini
Photo by Jeff Brown
Creamy, umami, and utterly singular, the MSG Martini is a Hall-of-Famer we’ll be indulging in for years to come. But the Old King Cole at Maison Premiere was too technically flawless and just plain delicious to ignore, and it beat Bonnie’s stunner by a nose.
Bartender, José "Chema" María Dondé prepares the Old King Cole at Maison Premiere
Photo by Jeff Brown
How We Scored
Every Martini was tasted by our team members and rated based on quality, garnish, style, value, and overall drinking experience.
Click through the bracket to explore VinePair's journey tasting the best Martinis in NYC. Below you'll find our take on every cocktail, why each Martini beat out its challenger, and more surprises along the way.
The Old King Cole Martini is, by every measure, a flawless Martini. Its construction is expert, its tableside presentation both effective and utterly classy. The price feels exactly right for the drink itself and the experience it comes with, and we’d happily pay it over and over again. Maison Premiere is an institution, and this cocktail is one of its shining achievements: it’s as stylish as it is satisfying, and for that reason, it beat out all its opponents for the Martini Madness title.
Editorial
Taylore Glynn Tim McKirdy Pete O’Connell Joanna Sciarrino Hannah Staab Olivia White
Design & Art Direction
Danielle Grinberg
Photography
Jeff Brown
The simple yet delightfully aromatic A Martini at Long Island Bar put up a good fight, but the iconic presentation of the Duke’s Martini at Lobby Bar proved too hard to beat.
The components of Eleven Madison Park's Leek Martini
Photo by Jeff Brown
The components of Eleven Madison Park's Leek Martini
Photo by Jeff Brown
While Bonnie’s and The Tusk Bar both put up outstanding Martinis we savored to the last drop, the former’s originality and stylistic specs couldn’t be topped.
The components of Eleven Madison Park's Leek Martini
Photo by Jeff Brown
The sweet, satisfying Gibson at Dear Irving gave its all with intricate elements and a one-of-a-kind garnish, but Maison Premiere’s jab-cross of masterful composition and inspired spirit choice handily claimed this round.
Madeline's Martini
THE CLASSIC MARTINI
Opened in 2023 (cleverly, at the height of the Martini craze), Madeline’s Martini in Alphabet City is a vibe-forward spot where guests can order from a menu featuring over a dozen Martinis and Martini-style cocktails. For those looking for a classic take, though, what you’ll find at Madeline’s is pretty straightforward. Choose vodka or gin with olives, a lemon twist, or onions and you’ll get a cold Martini served in a big V glass. (We opted for gin, which was Citadelle, though other brands could certainly be called for.) Three speared Manzanilla olives are a fitting garnish that meets expectations, but, like the cocktail itself, doesn’t exceed them. For the bar’s regulars, a simple Martini is totally suitable among flirtier options like a Lemon Drop or Bikini Martini, but for the purposes of this competition, we’ll seek other more superlative versions.
Eleven Madison Park
Leek MARTINI
As far as we’re concerned, the bar at Eleven Madison Park is one of New York’s better kept secrets; selfishly, we’d like it to stay that way. But what the beverage team is doing there is impressive and worthy of acclaim. The Leek cocktail, EMP’s take on the classic Martini, makes use of the alliums featured on the kitchen’s seasonal menu. The drink’s dry vermouth is infused with caramelized leeks, onions, and garlic, which gives the final cocktail a vegetal savoriness that balances well with its other components: a blend of Japanese and Irish gins, Blanche Armagnac, and Salers Apéritif. A robust pickled cocktail onion provides a tasty garnish that adds to the drink’s appeal as an inventive, culinary take on a Martini. At $26, it’s not cheap, though there are certainly many more expensive options in this city. But it’s exceedingly good, and given the setting and the institution’s renowned hospitality, it’s beyond worth it.
Dante
DANTE MARTINI
Dante might be best known for its classic Negroni or fluffy Garibaldi, but the Italianate bar’s namesake Martini is a worthwhile order. Poured straight into a large, V-shaped glass fresh from the freezer, this pre-batched take features gin (Ford’s), vodka (Ketel One), dry and blanc vermouth, a hit of grappa-based lemon liqueur, and olive and lemon bitters. Three fat, multicolor olives stay sunken at the bottom of the glass, a welcome snack throughout the drinking experience. For those looking for a slightly sweeter Martini, this is an imaginative iteration that still manages to hit the spot — especially that very first ice-cold sip.
Sugar Monk
DRY GIN MARTINI
Located a stone’s throw from Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater, Sugar Monk styles itself as an “homage to the uptown speakeasies of Harlem's past.” The off-menu Dry Gin Martini continues that theme with a classic preparation, simple yet stunning twist garnish, and vintage-style glassware. Hayman’s gin and Method dry vermouth sang a delightful duet during our visit, the perfect accompaniment to the live jazz performance in the background.
Dutch Kills
DRY GIN MARTINI
As the neighborhood around it changes at breakneck speed, and every passing year seems to mark the loss of another beloved cocktail-renaissance-era bar in New York, Dutch Kills soldiers on defiantly. Classics like the Martini, Manhattan, and Old Fashioned don’t populate the menu at this craft cocktail altar, but just as at other bars in owner Richard Boccato’s mini empire, Dutch Kills has a finely-tuned house spec for each. In the case of the Martini, that’s a 2:1 combo of Aria Classic Dry Gin and Dolin Dry vermouth, with a sizable lemon twist that threatens to leap out of the ice-cold glass like a certain early-‘90s orca whale escaping an amusement park.
Superbueno burst onto New York’s bar scene in April 2023 and quickly gained legions of fans for its lively atmosphere and inventive Mexican-American cocktails. The bar’s singular, signature Green Mango Martini includes green-mango-infused tequila, mango eau de vie, Sauternes sweet wine, and honey syrup. It’s bright and refreshing, and almost crushable in a way that a standard Martini is not. Despite the unavoidable sweetness, its profile is balanced, and the “supporting” ingredients serve to suppress tequila’s livelier characteristics in a way that anyone who’s tried to mix the spirit with vermouth will appreciate. Harmonious and visually stunning, magic awaits in the costeño chile oil garnish, which delivers an unexpected jolt of savory complexity when mixed with the elixir atop which it floats.
Superbueno
Green Mango MARTINI
Bar Goto
Bar Goto MARTINI
Among the biggest takeaways from this entire exercise has been the difficulty of serving a bonafide, proprietary riff that remains true to the soul of the Martini. How can a bar pry purists from their preferred formula and not leave them wishing they’d ultimately ordered that faithful, 5:1 gin Martini with two dashes of bitters and a discarded twist? In Lower East Side stalwart Bar Goto's eponymous offering, the answer lies in a pickled green tomato garnish. It seems conceived by a three-Michelin-starred chef, and looks like a perfect olive whose tense exterior encases a savory, sweet, and umami celebratory explosion. Arriving at that crucial crescendo involves sipping through a dry duo of characterful vodka and aged sake. Leave a sip or two to pair with the bite, or otherwise order a side of kombu-seasoned celery, and fish out that pickled prize with the accompanying chopsticks.
The Odeon
Dry Gin MARTINI
Words like fixture, institution, and icon are dished out all too liberally in descriptions of New York dining and drinking establishments, but they’re warranted in the case of neon-signed brasserie The Odeon. There’s no Martini on the menu here, nor a house spec, as a brief inquiry to the bartender revealed. But they were helpful in suggesting a minor ($1) upgrade to Beefeater from the well gin, and diligently stirred, strained, and garnished a fittingly beefy pour. Service: impeccable. Upon close inspection and scrutiny, however, the cocktail mirrors the minor flaws and slightly tired feel of the room. A room-temperature V-shaped glass did little to aid, let alone mask, oxidized Dolin Dry vermouth. Thankfully, little of that made it into the drink, and a zingy lemon twist helped freshen each sip.
Keens Steakhouse
Dry Gin Martini
Tigre
CIGARETTE Martini
Lobby Bar
THE DUKE'S MARTINI
Long Island Bar
A MARTINI
In 2023, the buzzy Caprese Martini catapulted Jac’s on Bond onto the scene. The cocktail, which boasts a fat cherry tomato as a garnish, tapped into several of-the-moment trends with its eye-catching presentation, savory flavor profile, and nod to a classic Italian dish. It’s made with tomato-and basil-infused Grey Goose vodka, Lustau blanco sherry, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, so the build is as on-the-nose as it gets. The bold flavor profile drifts a bit too far from what we crave from a Martini, but if caprese salads are your thing, head to this NoHo haunt for an elevated liquid version.
Jac's on Bond
CAPRESE MARTINI
Hidden among the train lines at Grand Central Terminal, there’s a Gilded-Age bar with a 25-foot hand-painted ceiling and grand stone fireplace. Often packed with Midtown workers and Westchester commuters, it’s a worthy, if crowded, destination for the Vesper. Made with Monkey 47 gin, Absolut Elyx, and Lillet Blanc, it drank true-to-style, and the higher-end ingredients added nice aromatic complexity. It’s a great drink — even if you’re enjoying it shoulder-to-shoulder with an entire investment bank — and though it doesn’t offer anything new or flashy, it’s incredibly classic.
The Campbell Apartment
VESPER
Martiny’s is an innovative Gramercy cocktail bar founded by Takuma Watanabe, the bartender behind NYC institution Angel’s Share. With its combination of gin, sherry, 2016 Porto, St-Germain, cognac, and grapes, this cocktail firmly leans into the grape theme and leaves tradition behind. If you’re someone who’s into a sherry-forward Martini, this version brings it to the next level.
Martiny's
Grand martiny's
Meeting at the crossroads of a Martini, a Vesper, and a Gibson, Bar Blondeau’s Blonde Martini is made with Malfy gin, cucumber vodka, and a touch of vermouth that softened the spirits’ harsher edges. Rather than expressing citrus over the cocktail, our bartender instead incorporated lemon oil directly into the signature spec and garnished it with an olive and house-pickled onion. Refreshing and refined, the Blonde Martini paired particularly well with the rooftop bar’s sweeping views of Manhattan — especially at sunset.
Bar Blondeau
Blonde Martini
Hidden away in a subterranean space on the Lower East Side, you could easily walk right by Lullaby — but its cocktail program shouldn’t be overlooked. That includes the house Martini, an ice-cold combination of olive oil-infused gin and blanc vermouth served with three skewered olives. It was straightforward going down, and that’s what made it so great. Ideal for both dirty and dry drinkers alike, the Martini was crisp and herbaceous, and a whisper of savoriness provided a delightful balance. Plus at $16, it was a true steal by New York standards.
Lullaby
THE Martini
Following a four-year shutdown, the low-lit and luxurious Temple Bar reopened in 2021 thanks in part to legendary mixologists Michael McIlroy and Sam Ross. The NoHo bar’s expansive drinks list consists of over 25 cocktails, nine of which are Martinis that pay homage to the bar’s history. We went with the Olive Oil Martini for its straightforward composition, consisting of a 2:1 mix of gin and olive oil-washed blanc and dry vermouths. While wonderfully satisfying for the first few ice-cold sips, we found the Martini slightly more challenging as it warmed. Pleasantly viscous and round overall, the ‘tini skewed more mellow than we anticipated, so those expecting a savory punch may wish to opt for the bar’s Dirty Vodka variation.
Temple Bar
Olive oil Martini
When the Dirty Martini craze took over in 2022, we were admittedly skeptical about the avante-garde interpretations cropping up on every corner. But among them would emerge an all-timer: the MSG Martini at Williamsburg’s Cantonese hotspot, Bonnie’s. There, the house Martini puts the spotlight on super-umami MSG, which lends a robust savoriness and luscious viscosity to the drink. Further dirtied with a bit of olive brine, the Martini was offered with either Grey Goose vodka or The Botanist gin. We opted for gin, which provided a vibrant, herbal backbone to the build and made for a delightful complement to the shaoxing wine subbed in for the standard vermouth. Inventive, punchy, and downright delicious, the MSG Martini brings the Dirty Martini to new heights.
Bonnie's
MSG Martini
The Martini is a highly personal drink, and Chez Zou brilliantly lets drinkers take the reins with their dirty interpretation. The Dirty Zou arrived in a dual-chambered vessel: the larger of the two containing olive oil vodka, and the smaller housing a grape leaf brine and a large sprig of dill. The drink is a textural exploration thanks to its viscous, fat-rounded spirit, and no matter how much brine we poured into the glass, there was never a moment when the salinity became too bracing. The drink’s assortment of olives — served on an accompanying tray — provided a varied mid-drink snack, but didn’t take the cocktail in a surprising new direction. For those seeking a mellower approach to the Dirty experience, let the Dirty Zou be your guide.
Chez Zou
DIRTY ZOU
West Village cocktail institution Katana Kitten’s signature Hinoki Martini oozes with woodsy Japanese flavors but still hits the spot like a traditional gin spec. It’s made with Grey Goose vodka, Spring44 Mountain Gin, Junmai Daiginjo sake, fino sherry, and hinoki cypress tree essence. Served in an ice-filled wooden box, it was smooth, cold, and evolved with each sip: the harder spirits met us at the door, while the floral subtleties of the sake and hinoki essence revealed themselves on the back-end. These notes were only enhanced by the brininess of its dual garnish: a crunchy pearl onion and a creamy green olive. The final takeaway was akin to a high-end mineral water Martinified — and we mean that in the best way.
Katana Kitten
HINOKI MARTINI
The headlining Martini at The Tusk Bar — a new cozy, dimly-lit spot at the Evelyn Hotel — is the Mignonette Gibson, made with Ford’s gin, Dolin Blanc vermouth, black pepper, and housemade shallot vinegar. Its initial, vanilla-like sweetness eventually gave way to the briney shallot flavor on the finish. The vinegar was really the star of the show, taking top billing right along with the build’s gin and vermouth. The garnish: a tightly rolled up pickled red onion slice that’s criminally scrumptious, and serves as both a snack and Trojan horse of salinity that counteracts the drink’s sweetness. It’s a Gibson characterized by a different breed of brine, and we’re here for it. Classic or not, The Tusk Bar’s approach to Martini-building is one we respect.
The Tusk Bar
Mignonette GIBSON
Rockefeller Center’s Le Rock is an uber-trendy spot and has the Martini menu to prove it. We went for the bone-dry Super Sec. Its overproof Old Raj gin served up a blast of juniper from nose to finish, with clean yet forceful hits of lemon and pepper throughout. The sheer amount of alcohol in this Martini gives it a weighty mouthfeel, and the tango of extra dry and blanc vermouths imparted a subtle kiss of fresh herbs and sweetness. If you fancy an assertive Martini, the Super Sec will satisfy.
Le Rock
Super sec
After waiting in line for over an hour, we were finally ushered into the Carlyle Hotel’s famous Bemelmans Bar. The menu’s star Martini, Madeline’s Vesper, had no newfangled cordials, shrubs, or spritzes — it’s simply a Vesper done well. Composed of Bombay Sapphire gin, Grey Goose vodka, and Cocchi Americano, the drink arrived in a large glass with a lemon twist and a white ribbon tied around the stem. It was ice cold, balanced on all fronts, and the Cocchi Americano imparted a nice cinnamon note on the finish that complemented the lemon twist garnish perfectly. Plus, it came with a sidecar and a trio of bar snacks. There was a catch, though: After the cover charge, drink, and tip, our bill came out to $60. It was a tough pill to swallow, even for a Martini this good.
Bemelmans Bar
MADELINE'S MARTINI
The house Gibson at The Nines is a simple yet sophisticated blend of Ford’s Gin and Dolin Blanc. Its profile was clean and balanced, and ambled through savory, sweet, and tangy territory all in one sip. And the garnish? Possibly the biggest red cocktail onion we’d ever seen. It was a three-biter, and the farmer responsible for it probably deserves some kind of prize. When sipping the drink in between bites, unexpected Italian sub-like notes came to the forefront alongside a viscous, creamy mouthfeel. Truth be told, this Gibson is an absolute banger, and reason alone to check out The Nines if you haven’t already.
The Nines
GIBSON
Downtown Brooklyn’s Gage & Tollner first opened its doors in 1879. And though it was only just revived in its current steakhouse form in 2021, sitting down at the marbled bar among the mirrored walls and golden details transported us right back to the Gilded Age, Delorean-style. Its Classic Gin Martini felt equally as nostalgic: stirred expertly with a quarter-ounce of vermouth, it was served in a weighty V-glass with a lemon twist (expressed and swiped around the rim) with a sidecar packed in crushed ice. This Martini might not reinvent the wheel, but that wheel is pulling Cinderella’s magic-made carriage.
Gage & Tollner
CLASSIC GIN MARTINI
After stepping into this Williamsburg cocktail institution, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve spontaneously time-traveled to a New Orleans of centuries-past. And after our last visit, the program’s showstopping Old King Cole Martini alone could convince us to leave the present behind. Each step of the Martini’s construction is performed tableside — or in our case, at the grand-U-shaped bar — beginning with a V-glass filled with crushed ice being placed in front of us to chill. While that turned frosty, our bartender stirred Angostura bitters and a quarter-ounce of dry vermouth with freezer-cold Old Raj Gin, which was chosen as the star spirit for its overproof bite and saffron note. After tossing the ice, the bartender slow-poured the viscous build into our glass a few inches from our nose, then set down a lemon twist and three skewered olives atop more ice as a dealer’s-choice garnish. We opted for both, because why show restraint now? The result was pure magic: the cocktail was perfectly balanced and colder than cold, and the strength of the saffron-laced gin imbued just enough edge. In short: this Martini is unforgettable.
Maison Premiere
Old King Cole
The Grill
HOUSE MARTINI
Dear Irving
Gibson
With its crystalline curtains, velvet seating, and Marie Antoinette-themed private room, Dear Irving still feels as whimsical as it did when it opened in 2014. Another pillar of that whimsy: the house Gibson. When we took our first sip, it was notably sweeter than most we’ve encountered, but then again, this isn’t your average Gibson. Created by mixologist Meaghan Dorman, the build incorporates citrusy Tanqueray No. Ten, a full ounce of Carpano Bianco, and the housemade brine that the drink’s finishing touch — a fat red onion that appears candy-pink under the bar’s low light — is pickled in. The bianco vermouth and Champagne vinegar-based brine brought a puckery sweetness to the drink akin to bread-and-butter pickles, but the cocktail never skewed too saccharine. When our bartender suggested eating the whole garnish, we expected an allium-bomb that might render the palate useless. But after crunching down on it, the magenta bulb tasted surprisingly delicate, and perfectly complementary to the drink.
Verōnika, a luxe hideaway inside Flatiron’s Fotografiska Museum, has an air of exclusivity thanks to some members-only rules surrounding its weekend reservations. We landed a seat in the bar area, and opted for the most extravagant cocktail on the menu: The Reserve Martini. Made with Chopin Family Reserve Vodka, it was offered dry, dusted (spritzed with atomized vermouth), or wet — we went with dry. It arrived atop a silver tray, flanked by two elegant accouterments alike in dignity and deliciousness: a startlingly briny dwarf peach and a teeny potato topped with sour cream and a small dollop of Osetra caviar. The Martini itself was bone-dry as promised, though we expected a creamier edge from the potato-based vodka. While the small bites it was served with were thoughtful, the Martini’s $50 price tag (and that’s before tip) was a little too hard to swallow on the value front.
Veronika
The RESERVE MARTINI
Gramercy steakhouse Hawksmoor is serious about its cocktail program. And given that its first location opened in 2006 in equally Martini-obsessed London, it makes sense that the New York menu’s Ultimate Martini showcases that same care. The bar keeps a batched blend of Hepple Gin and Aperitivo Co. Dry Vermouth insulated and radically cold before it’s served in a compact coupe and topped with Filicudi lemon oil. Our Martini arrived with a side of olives for good measure. The citrus oil added a lovely brightness to the ice-cold cocktail — like a bone-dry, more elegant answer to a lemon ice-pop — resulting in a crisp, clean interpretation.
Hawksmoor
ULTIMATE MARTINI