Photo of
November 1, 2010
[][1]
One Martini coming atcha

So. Monday morning. Too early to talk about cocktails? No way.

Last week, the blog had an interesting couple of hours doing some in-depth research on Hotel Missoni’s new cocktail offering.

They have teamed up with Ketel One Vodka to produce a branded cocktail trolley which glides around the hotel’s rather swish-looking bar in the early part of the evening.

Rather than ordering a cocktail to be made at the bar, you can choose to have it made at your table by the bar tenders manning the Missoni Martini Trolley.

The hotel’s new Aperitivo cocktail menu comprises five different cocktails, two of which, the Martini and the Negroski, can be whipped up at your table.

As well as the theatrical element of the trolley, you can specify exactly how you want your cocktail made. Little plates of freebie Italian snacks complete the picture.

The blog met Ketel One’s brand ambassador, Duncan McRae, for the launch of the Aperitivo Hour. He reckons that there are around 9000 different varieties of the Martini.

He pointed out that the Martini is not one drink but a family of drinks. The trick is to find the family member you like.

We didn’t get around to trying all of them but the trolley bar tenders know their way around a shaker and can whizz up a good proportion of the 9000.

Mr McRae is a treasure trove of vodka factoids. Apparently, vodka first became popular in the States in the Fifties when it was marketed as ‘white whisky’. Many of today’s vodka-based cocktails are twists on drinks that were i made with Scotch.

If a couple of aperitivos gets your juices flowing then Missoni’s Cucina restaurant is just up stairs. They do a three course pre-theatre dinner for £15 on 5pm.

[][4]
Aperitivo Hour at Missoni