The Martini

'When it's Martini Hour, you need a guide and there is no one better than Alice Lascelles.' – Jay Rayner

It’s almost 150 years since someone had the idea of mixing dry vermouth and gin – and yet the Martini is now more popular than it’s ever been. What’s behind this simple drink’s enduring success? And can perfection be reached, with a recipe so renowned, yet as personal as how you take your tea…
 
In The Martini, award-winning journalist, Financial Times columnist and cocktail expert Alice Lascelles goes on a deep-dive into one her favourite drinks – one that’s bewitched bartenders, artists, authors, film-makers and barflies for more than a century.
 
Over the course of 60 recipes, she charts the Martini’s journey from the smoky saloons of 1880s New York to the hottest cocktail joints of the 21st century. Discover old-time Martini twists like the Flame of Love and the Tuxedo in the section on Vintage drinks, or turn to Honorary for fun and fruity updates on Lychee and Espresso Martinis. The Classic section, which covers the likes of the Dry Martini, the Vesper and the Gibson, will delight Martini purists, while the Contemporary chapter showcases new-wave Martini recipes from some of the world’s top mixologists.
 
Peppered with anecdotes from the drink’s rich history and Alice’s travels round the world in search of the ultimate recipe, The Martini voyages from the speakeasies of Tokyo and the dive bars of Brooklyn to the swankiest hotels of St James’s. Discover the best Martini to pair with oysters;  explore variations infused with olive oil, shiso and jasmine tea; find out why your most important tool is your freezer; and the real reason James Bond liked a shaken, not stirred, Martini.
 
If you don’t know what your perfect Martini looks like, then this book will help you find it. And if you do, then its mix of tips, tricks and trade secrets will almost certainly help you to improve it.
 
Crisply-designed and illustrated with stunning colour photography, The Martini is a stylish, fun and fascinating guide to one of the cocktail world’s most enduring classics.
 

"Positively paradigmatic…The writing is crisply clever but, at the same time, so warmly engaging and witty…the photography is rapturously beautiful. I absolutely love this book." -- Nigella Lawson
‘I could say a Martini requires nothing more… yet Alice improves it with wit and rigour.’ -- Tim Hayward
‘A gorgeous portrait of the king of cocktails! Alice Lascelles has created an irresistible immersion into the Martini, charting its evolution in stories and recipes, up to the best modern classics found around the world.’ -- Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown, Mixellany Limited
‘Alice has fine taste and is always meticulously researched so it makes me very happy to have her thoughts on vital matters such as Martini proportions, garnishes and which gin in this slim and perfect volume.’ -- Victoria Moore
‘As a lover of the longer drink, Alice has done the impossible – made me utterly fascinated and inquisitive about one of the shortest, most intense of cocktails. Everything about this book – the writing, the recipes, the photography, the love of life – is completely beguiling. A delight.’ -- Mark Diacono
‘Get to know your Martini. If you want to shake it, go right ahead! If you prefer it with a splash of bitters and a twist of Amalfi lemon, then enjoy. Many of these variations may not fit the mould of what's classically thought to be a Martini, but if you love it a certain way, that's what makes it the most memorable and perfect drink of all.’ -- Alessandro Palazzi, Dukes bar manager
'When it's Martini Hour, you need a guide and there is no one better than Alice Lascelles.' -- Jay Rayner
‘Alice Lascelles has written a very apt book about the martini – it is crisp, elegant and dangerously seductive.’ -- Niki Segnit

Alice Lascelles is an award-winning journalist, author, presenter and drinks expert. She writes a popular column in the Financial Times covering cocktails, wine and spirits and can also often be found talking about drinks on BBC Radio 4 programmes including The Kitchen Cabinet and on the TV. Her definitive guide for the home bartender, The Cocktail Edit (2022), was named a ‘Book of the Year’ by The Times, The Financial Times, The Telegraph and Esquire. She is also a former winner of Fortnum & Mason’s Drinks Writer of the Year.& When she is not writing, Alice has a second life as a musician which has included touring with the White Stripes and releasing an album under the name Alice Gun. She lives in London with her husband and two sons.

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