10 of the Best Martinis in the Country

The classics never go out of style, and it doesn’t get much more classic than a martini. Although there are plenty of variations to be had, it’s hard to go wrong ordering a martini at any of the places we’ve listed below. Here are 10 of the best martinis (and places to get them) in the country.

Broward-Palm Beach

Hendrick’s Gin Martini with Cucumber at Bova Prime

Banish from your mind those newfangled “martinis” sold in the trendy bars by unscrupulous mixologists. You know the ones. Their active ingredient is vodka, and all kinds of weak boozes have been added to the mix to make them taste like Key Lime Pie or an espresso or an Almond Joy. These drinks…More >>

Dallas

Sevy’s Grill

So everybody in Dallas orders vodka instead of gin. And the shaken or stirred question never comes up. At least Sevy’s understands that, when you deign to order a real (gin) martini, the proper end result requires a balance of spirit and vermouth. And they don’t let you get away with uneducated…More >>

“You gotta respect a place that respects a martini.”

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Denver

Avenue Grill

The photos on the wall of the Avenue Grill date back to the ’80s, but the feel of this bar dates back much further, to those classic cocktail lounges of the ’30s and ’40s. And you can taste that golden era in the martinis, which the amiable bartenders mix up big, bold and icy-cold. The martinis…More >>

Kansas City

The Eye Opener at the Grand Street Café

The best martini in the city has no olives. It is served not in glass but in metal, and it has the bite of vinegar and the fire of peppers. Shaken and poured at your table, the eye opener at the Grand Street Café, just east of the Plaza, shames the mere bloody mary by serving it up…More >>

Nashville

Eastland Café

Everyone loves a cheap, stiff drink after a long day of work–something to relax the mind before a strenuous evening of shuffling between political calamity on MSNBC and human calamity on VH1’s sideshow I Love Money. So what makes the $5 martini at Eastland Café better than the $5…More >>

$5 martinis during happy hour at Eastland Café

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Orange County

Ginger Martini at Bono’s

It’s spicy and sweet without going anywhere near the regions of those sugar-filled stem drinks that somehow pass for adult beverages. The Ginger Martini is a grown-up, sophisticated cocktail with a deliciously unexpected kick of flavor. Bartender Dani makes them the best–she mixes…More >>

Phoenix

Cashmere Martini at Maizie’s Café & Bistro

This is not your cigar-smoker’s martini. And don’t put an olive near it. The Cashmere Martini — one of the signature cocktails at one of our favorite new CenPho eateries — is luxury in a glass: vanilla vodka, pineapple juice, and a splash of Chambord. The soft pink hue and exotic…More >>

Hanny’s

For a long time, we were great admirers of the “super-size me” martini trend. So what if a Hendrick’s martini at Durant’s set us back $20? There were at least four shots of gin in that baby — and we had the buzz to match our bar bill. But this is 2009. We’re broke, we’re terrified of DUIs,…More >>

Inside Hanny’s, where you can see what a martini looked like in 1950

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San Francisco

The Gummi Bear Martini at Barracuda

Girly drinks have been known to sport names that are unfit to print in a family publication, but which all refer to sexual activity. Thankfully, Barracuda Sushi has concocted a sugary girl drink without the sexual innuendo: the Gummi Bear Martini. This insanely sweet mix of Seagram’s Extra…More >>

St. Louis

The Famous Bar

With all due respect to the mangotinis, appletinis, guavatinis, melontinis and white-chocolate-double-truffle-cherrytinis out there, when it comes to the art of the martini, less is more. All the fancy ingredient lists and oddly colored gourmet liquors have failed to improve upon the classic…More >>