The Dirty Martini by Three Sheets Soho

If 2022 was the year of the negroni and 2023 all about the margarita, let it be known that the dirty martini is back with a bang for 2024 – and the filthier the better. If this year’s travels take you to London, get your fix at the newly opened Three Sheets Soho.

Little sister to the Dalston cocktail bar icon, which has sidled its way into the World’s 50 Best bar awards for five year, Three Sheets cranked opened its freshly painted doors mid-March on Soho’s Manette Street to deliver that fun-loving-meets-old-school-sophisticated vibe that is so synonymous with the central London neighborhood. 

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Behind the magic are Max and Noel Vennings, who, since opening the first Three Sheets in 2016, have gone on to play a key part in some of London’s most exciting drinks ventures, including Little Mercies in Crouch End and everyone’s favorite North London natty wine bar (and now, shop) Top Cuvee. If it’s got the Vennings stamp on it, you can expect a good time.

Inside, expect the same low-key look as the original, with super-cool dim lighting, vintage photos on the walls and a clean color palette – snag a bar seat to watch the team in action.  On the menu, it’s a mix of re-interpreted classics and Three Sheets signatures.

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Expect the same low-key look as the original / ©Three Sheets

It's not all about cocktails, either. Three Sheets Soho will be open in the mornings for coffee and pastries, through lunch for light bites, and into the evening for cocktail hour. To accompany the drinks list, ex-Lyle’s chef and butcher William Blank has conjured a small but satisfying food list; get the salt beef sandwich.

But, what about that dirty martini? Well, it’s a good one. Vodka-based (as all martinis should be, in my opinion) with just a flash of zesty picpoul de pinet, a lick of olive oil and a sprinkle of delicate fleur de sel this cocktail delivers savory, boozy deliciousness in its bucketloads. 

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Ingredients

- 37.5ml Belvedere

- 10ml Picpoul de pinet

- 5ml olive oil vodka

- 7.5ml kosoret tea vodka

- 1ml sugar syrup 

- .01g fleur de sel

Method

Add all ingredients to a cocktail glass with ice and stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with three olives on a cocktail stick.

14-15 Manette Street, London W1D 4AP, threesheets-bar.com

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