📍Hawksmoor, New York City

I visited Hawksmoor for their burger a few months ago. Sitting at a bar with a beautiful burger, a martini, and maybe a few other things is an ideal evening. I wanted to recreate that when I saw they had a new burger on the menu. This time I went right in the evening after opening. The sun was still out, which is well before prime martini time, but I didn't want to get caught waiting for a seat later. A few people probably had similar ideas because I got a spot along the wall instead of at the proper bar. When you walk in, you'll see a host stand and some curtains on the left. Through the curtains is the bar area with the bar menu. On the left are booths and tables, on the right is a bar, and beyond the bar is a wall with a ledge and little carve-outs so more people could fit. I got one of those. I started with a martini, despite the early hour. The windows are tinted so it already felt a bit like a darkened den. Hawksmoor has a few different ones on the menu. I usually do the gin one: Fords Gin, Little City Dry Vermouth, and Lemon Oil in a cold, very cold glass. It's served with a couple of olives in a shooter with a toothpick on the side.

You can see the lemon oil collecting on top. Unlike some places, they don't use a dropper to make little lemon oil pools; it's mixed in. You get a lot of it compared to a twist and garnish of lemon peel but not as much as if there were lemon juice. That, plus the temperature, is what makes this martini for me.