A Martini Maestro Behind One of London’s Best Is Opening a New Cocktail Bar

The bartender credited with instigating the process behind one of London’s best martinis will open a new cocktail bar in the city.

Salvatore Calabrese will replace the Bassoon Bar at the Corinthia Hotel with Velvet, which will incorporate some of his most famous drinks, including a breakfast martini which incorporates Cointreau and marmalade for a bitter citrus twist of a different kind. He is most famous, however, for his stint at Dukes in the 1980s, where — according to legend — he mixed a dry martini with frozen gin and glasses for travel writer Stanton Delaplane, which has now evolved into the Dukes martini, a legendary London drink in its own right.

The new bar will be designed by David Collins, who has form at the Connaught’s renowned bar, and will open on 7 November.

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