Where to Drink the Classics: Martinis, Negronis and Old Fashioneds in London
A bar can hide behind a long menu of clever ingredients. It cannot hide behind a martini. Hot Dinners orders one everywhere as a levelling test of a bar's skill with a classic, and it is a sound habit. Three drinks do most of the work here: the martini, the negroni and the old fashioned. Each has three or four components, so the difference between good and forgettable comes down to temperature, dilution, proportion and care.
These are eight London bars known for that care, with a suggestion for what to order at each.
The martini
Dukes Bar, St James's
The hotel has described Dukes Bar as tucked into St James's since 1908, and it has a clear method. Glasses are frozen, the spirits are very cold and there is no ice. The martini is made tableside from a trolley, and the Nudge lists it among its top martini bars. It is also Ian Fleming's old haunt, tied to the Vesper story.
Order: the martini, dry, or the Vesper if you want the Bond connection. The Martinez is a slightly less dry amber alternative. The hotel itself is temporarily closed while it completes the next phase of its transformation, but the bar has been welcoming guests from the afternoon, so check opening days before you go. Prices run high and are best checked on the day. Details are on the Dukes Bar page.
The Connaught Bar, Mayfair
The Martini Trolley is the draw. It is wheeled to your seat and the drink is built to your liking, with a choice of aromatic bitters and styles such as dirty or dry, shaken or stirred. The room was designed by David Collins, and Quintessentially lists the bar first in its martini guide.
Order: the Connaught Martini from the trolley. One listing gives the spec as Tanqueray No. 10 with a blend of dry vermouths and bitters, at about £30, so check before you go. The negroni is also well rated by The Sauce.
Brutes of Mayfair, Bruton Place
The newest name here, and the most single minded. Brutes is a martini bar and nothing else, and Time Out headlined its review as a ravishing martini bar. It sits on Bruton Place, a short walk from Bond Street station, and opens Wednesday to Saturday only, closing on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Order: a dry or wet martini at £16, or the extra dry Brutal at £17, with a dirty version also on offer. You choose gin or vodka, and a twist or a garnish. Garnishes stretch from blue cheese olives to caviar and, less solemnly, Monster Munch. Brummell called £16 one of the best priced martinis in Mayfair. On sunny days the front opens out and staff pour the martini in the street. Read the Time Out review for the full picture.
Hawksmoor Martini Bar, St Pancras
Not a hotel trolley, but a useful stop if you are passing through King's Cross and St Pancras. Hot Dinners counts seven martini versions, among them the Steakhouse Martini made with Grey Goose, Chardonnay, green peppercorn and olive brine. There are also martinis served direct from the freezer. The Nudge recommends it for a post dinner martini and mentions the sub zero serves.
Order: a freezer martini if you want the classic proportions, or the Steakhouse Martini if you want something savoury.
The negroni
Bar Termini, Soho
Bar Termini is a small Italian café style bar on Old Compton Street, open all day for coffee, aperitifs and digestifs. The Sauce opens its negroni round up with it and says it makes one of London's best. SquareMeal calls the batched negronis consistently excellent, served in neat, sensibly sized glasses. Olive Magazine has described the bottled versions as coming straight from the freezer: classic, superiore, rosato and robusto.
Order: the classic batched negroni. If you want a second drink, the Marsala Martini is another of its classics. Prices are in the middle band, but check before you go.
The American Bar at The Savoy, Strand
Founded in 1893 and considered London's original cocktail bar, according to one London bars round up. The Sauce says negronis were popularised in London's American bars in the early twentieth century, and calls the Savoy's the best and most original. The martini is described as ice cold and very strong. A pianist plays in the evenings, though times vary, and opening hours differ between listings, so confirm with the hotel before you set out. Expect hotel bar prices.
Order: a negroni, to taste the history, or a martini if you like it cold and uncompromising. Read The Sauce's negroni round up for other options, including the Coral Room and the Churchill Bar.
The old fashioned
Satan's Whiskers, Bethnal Green
Founded in 2013, Satan's Whiskers was named the UK's best cocktail bar in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list for 2025. The Infatuation says the potent old fashioneds are excellent, and describes a busy, fun room with loud hip hop, soft lighting and plenty of taxidermy. The list changes daily but always stems from a selection of classics. It opens from 5pm to midnight daily and is a two minute walk from Bethnal Green station.
Order: the old fashioned. Prices sit in the middle bands.
Happiness Forgets, Hoxton
A basement at Hoxton Square that promises high end cocktails in a low rent basement, and delivers a consistency that London Cocktail Week singles out as impeccably crafted. The Infatuation calls its old fashioned world class and mentions the gimlets too. The bar says it opens from 5pm every day, though listings vary on closing times, so check. Old Street is the nearest Tube.
Order: the old fashioned, then a gimlet if the evening goes on. Visit the bar's own site for current hours.
How to choose
- For ceremony: Dukes Bar or the Connaught Bar, both with a trolley and a price to match.
- For a martini on a lighter budget: Brutes of Mayfair, with prices from £16.
- For one perfect negroni: Bar Termini.
- For the old fashioned: Satan's Whiskers or Happiness Forgets, both open from the evening.
- For history: the American Bar at The Savoy.
Opening days and prices change, and some of these bars keep short hours in the week, so check before you go.
