The big freeze: why London bars are going to extremes to keep drinks super cool

Short, strong and icy cold: that is the definition of a sophisticated cocktail.

While the first two are simple (a Martini glass filled with gin or vodka and a whiff of vermouth), keeping your drink super cool is tricky.

Martinis in particular, as the late, great bartender Dick Bradsell had it, ‘must be very, very cold’ and drunk before they warm at all. One solution is to down it in one mouthful — but if that’s a bit much, these bars are going out of their way to keep your drink perfectly chilled.

Dukes Bar, St James

Legend contends that drinking at Dukes (left) inspired Ian Fleming to invent James Bond’s infamous drinks order. Whether you take yours shaken or stirred, the bar is widely held to make the best Martini in the world, in part thanks to head bartender Alessandro Palazzi’s Martini trolley. ‘The very first rule for the perfect Martini is to have the right temperature,’ insists Palazzi. ‘At Dukes Bar we simply execute this rule by freezing both the glass and spirit to get the optimal taste.’ These are wheeled straight to your table on the trolley so your drink can be made and served in front of you, precluding a slow waiter letting your Martini warm.