Tucked behind St James' Palace, down a cobbled road and through a tiny courtyard, you'll find Dukes London, a discreet hotel that has been serving drinks to London's elite for almost a century. As Ian Fleming's former watering hole, Dukes Bar is said to be the inspiration for the classic Bond line, "Shaken, not stirred".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But according to the Italian barman Maurizio Schiavone, Bond had it wrong. "Martinis must be served naked – preferably neither shaken nor stirred, and certainly never with ice."
These spirited facts, and more, I learn during the 10 minutes it takes for the white-jacketed Schiavone to mix an "Ian Fleming's Classic Vesper", the bar's signature Bond-inspired martini.
I'm in London on a two-night stopover; none of my friends are in town and after weeks on the road I'm tired of sightseeing. Instead, I plan to indulge in one of my passions (vices?) – gin.
With a gin association going back to 1689 (when King William of Orange dropped the tax on spirits to help prop up grain prices) London is once again at the heart of a gin renaissance. In response, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association has launched the WSTA London Gin Trail, complete with handy map and 12 locations to visit. It's a history lesson (I kid myself) as I check into Dukes Hotel for the start of my pilgrimage.
Dukes Bar – On Her Majesty's Secret Service
It's a busy night at Dukes Bar, a mix of after-work suits and fashionably dressed couples, as I'm shown to a plump velvet chair by the window. The decor is old-school cool; strung with hunting scenes and mustachioed men, thick with tassels and brocade, and as suave and sophisticated as the super-sleuth himself.
When I order a Vesper martini (named after the original Bond girl Vesper Lynd) Schiavone springs to action, momentarily disappearing before returning with a wooden trolley laden with bottles of spirits, which he's just pulled from the deep freeze. An assortment of snacks – meaty olives, roasted nuts and delicate crackers – appears by magic.
To the frozen glass, Schiavone adds angostura bitters and vermouth, followed by one part Potocki vodka and two parts No. 3 London Dry gin. "The gin comes from across the road at Berry Brothers and Rudd," he says. "It's where the royal family get their wines from."
With a theatrical swipe of lemon, my cocktail is ready, the most mind-blowingly strong, yet delicate and delicious martini of my life. "We have a policy at Dukes," says Schiavone. "No more than two martinis per customer." Given that each Vesper is equivalent to five standard drinks I understand why.
To my shame, I barely manage to finish one, returning to my room feeling a little shaken and stirred myself.
Ian Fleming's Classic Vesper costs £18.50 ($32.50). See dukeshotel.com
Beefeater Distillery tour – For Your Eyes Only
"The Queen Mother was said to enjoy a gin each day at 5pm," says Loredana, our tour guide at the Beefeater Distillery in Kennington. "And she lived until she was 101."
As positive as this spin sounds, the one-hour tour starts in the distillery's museum where we are confronted by an oversized print of Gin Lane (1751), the etching by English artist William Hogarth depicting the evils of drinking gin – infanticide, starvation, madness and suicide – in contrast to the merits of drinking beer.
"Beefeater Gin was named after the Yeoman warders at the Tower of London," explains Loredana, handing around samples of juniper, coriander, Seville oranges and orris root, just some of the botanicals used in production. "Every Christmas we throw a big party for the Beefeaters, but that's a whole other story."
After a tour of the museum we learn the original recipe is still a well-guarded secret, currently known only to the three men working the stills on the factory floor, before finishing with a complimentary gin and tonic.
Tours operate Monday to Saturday on the half-hour and cost £12 ($21).
A gin and jam afternoon tea – You Only Live Twice
"There are few hours in life more agreeable," wrote the novelist Henry James, "than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." While I agree with the great man's sentiment, surely one hour can never be enough, particularly when faced with a combination of gin and jam at Hush in leafy Mayfair. I've only just started on my welcome cocktail, a "pink rabbit" made with gin, lime juice and fresh strawberries, and I know I won't be leaving until they turn the lights out.
Served upstairs in Blades at Hush, an intimate space reminiscent of a 1960s private club, the welcome cocktail soon makes way for a three-tiered extravaganza of smoked salmon, cucumber sandwiches, chicken and tarragon mayonnaise on sourdough, and egg and cress on brown bread. And that's just for starters.
A second gin cocktail, this time a Pippi Longstocking, made with gin, pineapple juice, ginger beer and rhubarb jam, heralds the second course of mini macaroons, Earl Grey creme brulee and warm scones with clotted cream and a trio of jams (gooseberry, blackberry and rhubarb). The jams are handmade, the bespoke gin is distilled in London exclusively for Hush and the teas range from raspberry mouse chocolate to Irish Cream.
Served Monday to Sunday, 3pm-6pm, £35 ($61). See hush.co.uk
Gin in a tin in Soho – Casino Royale
Boasting more than 300 different gins from around the world, the odds of finding one you like at Graphic Bar are in your favour. I start with a "paint tin punch", a colourful concoction served in – you guessed it – a paint tin. With a choice of four paint colours (green, red, pink and yellow) I put my money on red. The cranberry juice and berry liquor supplying the colour; the Beefeater gin the punch.
Graphic also has another ace up its sleeve – an edgy collection of urban art by innovative artists artists such as Ben Allen, Ben Eine and Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger.
While the decor is all warehouse chic, think sprayed roller doors and exposed light bulbs, the tapas-style tasting plates (all prepared in-house) range from a deceptively simple Jerusalem artichoke hummus to a delicious Merguez sausage with harissa and yoghurt.
Open Monday to Saturday, noon to midnight. Paint tin punches cost £8.50 ($15).
See graphicbar.com
Three other stops on the gin trail
Savoy Hotel – Home to the legendary art deco American Bar. Enjoy a tipple accompanied by a live jazz pianist every night. fairmont.com
East London Liquor Company – a distillery housed in an old glue factory in London's East End producing (and importing) hand-crafted gins. eastlondonliquorcompany.com
Sipsmith – home to Prudence, the first copper still to launch in London since 1820. The swan motif on the Sipsmith mark is a reference to the swan-shaped neck of the still's pipe. sipsmith.com
TRIP NOTES
MORE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Emirates operates daily flights to London Heathrow from Sydney and Melbourne via Dubai. emirates.com
STAYING THERE
Dukes London is a luxury property set in a quiet courtyard in upmarket Mayfair, a three minutes' walk to Green Park tube station. Standard rooms start from £325. See dukeshotel.com
SEE & DO
Download a map of the self-guided WSTA London Gin Trail at wsta.co.uk. Start and finish wherever you please.
Kerry van der Jagt was a guest of VisitBritain and Dukes London