Cocktail Review: Mar-tea-ni at the Cavendish Hotel

Photography by Chris Osburn

It was a muggy day yesterday and, to reach Mayfair’s Cavendish Hotel in time to sample the hotel’s latest addition to its cocktail menu, Londonist bravely had to endure one of those oppressively hot and sticky Tube rides that sucks the very essence from otherwise perfectly healthy bodies. Once out of the icky and into the cosy nook that is this Jermyn Street hotel’s nook of a lobby bar and within a few sips, the refreshment of the Cavendish’s new Mar”tea”ni cocktail proved well worth the journey.

The Mar”tea”ni is essentially a traditional martini with added cucumber, green tea and lime served in a chilled teapot. The teapot presentation not only adds a bit of ironic pomp to this drink but also means that there’s enough to fill a martini glass at least twice (Londonist got nearly three full glasses out of our pot!). For £7.50, that’s pretty generous. What’s also generous is head bartender Robert Gaggl kindly sharing his Mar”tea”ni recipe with us:

Mar“tea”ni:

35ml Hendricks Gin
2 slices of cucumber
60ml of cold green tea
Two lime wedges

Place the gin, cucumber and green tea in a Boston Shaker with ice
Sqeeze the lime juice into the shaker
Shake together and strain into the teapot
Serve in a Martini glass

The Mar”tean”ni provides a good buzz as one might expect from a martini while the green tea adds a bit of “ah” to it. A more refreshing summer cocktail might be difficult to find in Mayfair. We hope the Cavendish keeps this one on the drinks list for as long as the "warm" weather is here and that they consider keeping it around for next season.

The Mar”tea”ni is available at the Cavendish Hotel’s Lounge and Lobby Bar (81 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6JF). Visit www.thecavendishlondon.com for deets!