One for the purists and a must-visit for Martini fans, this most discreet of drinking dens is old school to the core, with patterned carpets, tasselled chairs and plush velvet curtains. If you like your drinks mixed to order, with tableside service from barkeeps in smart white jackets pushing a Martini trolley, then you’ve come to the right place.
Dukes is also famous as the birthplace of the Vesper Martini, created by James Bond author Ian Fleming. The iconic mix of Gordon’s gin, vodka and Lillet vermouth – shaken not stirred, of course – appeared in his 1953 novel Casino Royale. Today the man behind the Martinis is dapper head bartender Alessandro Palazzi. As far as we know he doesn’t have a licence to kill, but he does mix a killer Martini – in fact his team serve up over 200 of them daily, each one potent and perfectly chilled.
We have a soft spot for Palazzi’s signature 89 Jermyn Street too – a blend of tonka bean-infused vodka, rose, amber vermouth and chocolate bitters inspired by Bond’s signature cologne, Floris No 89. And what if Martinis really aren’t your thing? Dukes boasts a candlelit Cognac and cigar garden too.