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THE WORLD MARTINI TOUR - LONDON
The Classic Gin Martini made with English Gin
Ingredients: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, Green Olives
Whenever I think of London and cocktails I think James Bond and English Gin. Whenever I think English Gin I think of a classic martini which brings me right back to the famous James Bond line, "shaken, not stirred." Which then drives me crazy because, as I've written many times before, you do NOT shake a classic gin martini - you STIR it. Shaking bruises the delicate juniper notes of the gin.
I also think quite fondly of friendly pubs, The Beatles and walking on that famous walkway on Abbey Road, fish and chips served in newspaper and Mod fashion of the sixties. Before I ever visited England I was influenced by that fashion trend and the British Invasion. I spent the better part of 2 months baby-sitting money on a pair of Beatles style Go-Go boots, ironed my hair to brittle straightness and played The Beatles on my Hi-Fi until I drove my parents crazy.
When I finally got to visit London the first place I went was to the Abbey Road Studios in St. John's Wood to walk across the famous zebra stripped roadway just like the Beatles did on the cover of their final album, Abbey Road. The walkway is not in the same location as it was when The Beatles took that iconic photograph, it was moved a bit in the 1970s but the walkway is still nearby and you can still strut across the street with your arms swinging wide in tribute to the Fab Four.
The next thing I did was get myself over to Piccadilly to check into my room and then for Tea at the Ritz (if you want to do this too be sure to book well in advance). After that I took myself off on a shopping trip to Fortnum & Masons (another great place to have tea, btw), Simpsons (no longer there sadly) and other famous shopping stops.
My favorite thing to do when I travel is poke through shops, eat and drink. I'm more of a gastronomic tourist than an historical one, but I did eventually make it around to all the "must sees" like Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Windsor Palace and did my obligatory tours of outlaying areas as well - but I could easily have spent all my time shopping in Piccadilly and Carnaby Street and eating and drinking all over the city!
I think I drank more gin martinis and tea in London than I will the rest of my life and more warm beer than I'll ever want to drink again - maybe that's why I prefer my martinis in the designer mode and ice cold these days.
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