In search of the perfect martini—found in London, of course.

Author Leslie Downer recommends the best martini in the world.

Duke's Hotel
35 St. James's Place sw1

The bar in Duke's Hotel, St. James's, is small, cosy and serves the best martinis in the world. Gilberto, the flamboyant Italian barman, will provide articles from the world's press (New York Times, etc.) to testify to this. Then he brings out a bottle of rare vodka, available nowhere else in Britain and covered with frost, straight from the freezer, plus a glass each, similarly frosted. He pours in a generous measure of vodka and tops it with a swirl of vermouth and a splash of lemon, declaring "James Bond was wrong; martinis should not be shaken and should not be stirred". The resulting concoction is rich, creamy, silky smooth and ambrosial. I have enjoyed the best martinis in New York with a Japanese friend who was writing a book on the subject (of martini). All were pedestrian compared to this. Gilberto is now the star of her book.

Lesley Downer
Author