Dukes Bar
Dukes Hotel, London
Tucked away in the back streets of St James, Dukes Bar, part of the smart Dukes Hotel, is a London institution. Much of the cocktail menu is inspired by the works of Bond author Ian Fleming, who used to frequent the joint. Indeed, legend has it that this is the bar from which the phrase ‘shaken, not stirred’ originated.
Head barman Alessandro Palazzi, as much a fixture as Dukes itself, has strong opinions on gin drinking, and Martinis in general. “There are too many rules to remember in life, so your Martini shouldn’t come with a set of instructions as well,” he says. Encouraged to try something new, I peruse the menu. There are lots of Bond-themed Martinis. I’m tempted by the Classic Vesper (a concoction of No 3 gin, Potocki vodka, Angostura bitters and Sacred Dukes Exclusive Amber Vermouth) but in the end I decide to give Alessandro a free rein. “I want to try something new,” I tell him. “Surprise me.”
He brings his Martini trolley and prepares a Room 39. This, it turns out, is the room in which Ian Fleming worked in the Naval Intelligence Division during World War II. It’s an ambitious combination of Sacred Gin (from Highgate in North London) with thyme liqueur and Real Centerbe, a green herbal liqueur from Abruzzo, translated as ‘100 herbs’. “Made by peasants,” Alessandro comments.
Straight from the freezer, everything is mixed tableside and served in a frozen glass, so nothing’s diluted by ice. The whole thing is finished off with a spritz of lemon oil – Alessandro only uses organic lemons from the Amalfi coast, and a deft squeeze is enough to coat the surface of the drink. I’m slightly apprehensive about the Centerbe as the last thing anybody wants is a shot of cough medicine, but the drink is exquisite, a bit like sipping cocktails on an Italian hillside in summer with the scent of wild thyme wafting through the air. There’s a refreshing hint of aniseed, too, from the Centerbe. I declare my experiment a triumph. “This is the moment of gin,” Alessandro tells me. “Just 15 years ago, gin would make you think of your grandmother, or the Queen Mother. Now, gin drinkers are getting younger and younger, and thanks to social media, more knowledgeable.” We’ll drink to that.
