The Connaught’s legendary martini trolley

Wheeled over to your table with your own personal sharp-suited waiter, who’ll whip up a martini especially tailored to your tastes. First select your gin or vodka of your choice, although Tanqueray is recommended…

Now to select the hint of flavour you’d like to spike your drink with, choosing from six homemade bitters; such as savoury coriander or floral lavender.

Watching the bar guy mix up our drinks is a real piece of theatre; pouring a metre-long martini waterfall into the cocktail glasses. Once the booze is safely landed, he proceeds to peel a hunk of peel from a lemon as huge as our heads, and then dances his hands above the glasses while he spritzes them with the citrusy zest. Then finally letting go of the chunky slice, letting it slither slowly into the clear liquid.

The martinis were perfectly cold, dangerously strong, of course, yet fresh and crisp – with a hint of zest from the peel. What makes these martinis unique is the slight hint of flavour from the bitters, that nudges it into either a slightly sweet or savoury category, depending on what you’ve chosen.

We’ll definitely be going back for more. But maybe not tonight though – the limit is two per person and after one we’re already halfway off our chair…