The Top Three: Martinis

For meeting your ‘M’

Artesian at the Langham 1C Portland Place, W1 (020 7636 1000; artesian-bar.co.uk)
The Langham hotel’s elegant bar does a fabulous Martini (£16.50), served in a bespoke silver glass specially designed to keep the drink super-chilled. Choose from five vermouths, infused with ingredients such as elderflower, yuzu, green tea or apple, accompanied by a side of olives, also infused with gin botanicals.

For a flourish

Dukes, St James’s Place, SW1 (020 7491 4840; dukeshotel.com)
This is the very bar where, legend has it, Ian Fleming came up with the line ‘Shaken, not stirred’. Martini aficionados will, of course, point out that you should actually stir, not shake, a Martini. Try a Vesper (from £15.95) or a Fleming 89 (devised with Floris, whose No 89 Cologne is worn by Bond himself).

For seducing a secret agent

The Connaught, 16 Carlos Place, W1 (020 7314 3419; the-connaught.co.uk)
When the bar at The Connaught was due for a refurb, the design team didn’t hold back and it’s extremely luxurious. You can have your Martini (£17) mixed tableside — check out the beautiful Japanese cocktail kit it’s made in. A Martini here, served by a white-gloved bartender, is definitely an experience worth savouring.