Top Martini Bars in St. Louis, Missouri

The Martini: It has been called “the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet” and “the elixir of quietude.” Johnny Carson said “happiness is finding two olives in your Martini when you’re hungry.”

There are quite a few theories as to when and how the Martini was invented. One credits Jerry Thomas, a bartender at the old Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, with coming up with the idea in the 1860’s. Supposedly he made the drink for a miner who was on his way to the town of Martinez, some 40 miles east. The libation consisted of gin, sweet vermouth, a dash of maraschino and bitters, as well as a slice of lemon and two dashes of gum syrup. There is also a story that the drink was actually invented in the aforementioned town of Martinez, but there is very little evidence to support this. Then there was the claim by a bartender named Martini di Arma in New York City that he invented it in 1912. Some even credit the drink’s name to the famous Italian vermouth maker Martini and Rossi. Whatever the origin, the Martini was a popular drink on both coasts and in many parts of the world by the early 1900’s, mostly appealing to the literate and luxury crowd. It was even popular during prohibition because bathtub gin was a lot easier to make than scotch or bourbon. The drink’s sales surged in the sixties when it became associated with the James Bond character in the movies. The “shaken, not stirred” debate and the emergence of a vodka-based Martini was sparked not only by the movie but also by the ulterior motives of one of its sponsors: Smirnoff Vodka. Its popularity faded somewhat in the seventies and eighties, but then surged again in the 90’s when Martini bars became haute rigueur. There was also an association of the Martini with the cigar. In the past it was always a smoking jacket, a cigar and a snifter of brandy.

So if you’re feeling like donning the black (bow) tie and firing up the Aston Martin, here are a few of the best places in St. Louis to do it: