Why Bartenders Across the Globe Are Serving Martinis Colder Than Ever
It seems wherever you can get a great martini these days, the soothing drams are being served colder and colder. Top honors may belong to London’s Bob Bob Ricard, where managing director Richard Logins spent over a month perfecting the aptly named World’s Coldest Martini, chilled to minus 7.6 degrees Fahrenheit—the point just before vodka freezes and turns into slush. While doing research, Logins tested drinks at other watering holes with a thermometer, calculating an average of 17.6 degrees. “Only one bar had minus 12 [Celsius, or 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit], and I was like, ‘OK, this is cold,’ ” he tells Robb Report. Bob Bob Ricard’s even-colder version has become a bestseller, delivered to guests with white-glove service up to 300 times a week.
Producing a superlatively cold martini is more than just an exercise in marketing or a way to claim bragging rights. “It’s such a texturally potent and memorable drink,” explains Cody Pruitt, a co-owner of New York City’s Chateau Royale. “And the colder the alcohol is, the more velvety—or almost silky or milky—the texture can be.”
Pruitt estimates he serves just over 250 martinis on a busy night. The prebatched cocktails are stored in dedicated freezers set at 10 degrees, some hidden behind custom millwork so the drinks don’t warm up while being shepherded to your table. Garnishes come on the side so that a room-temp lemon peel or olive won’t ruin the chill.
Room 207, also in New York, takes a different approach to maintaining its 3.2-degree martinis. When your drink is halfway done, a server will swap out your glass for a fresh one chilled to 5 degrees. It’s a thoughtful touch from chief mixologist Hemant Pathak, who started dreaming about opening such a boîte (red-velvet walls, live music, great nibbles) 14 years ago—a vision he realized in December 2025. He says the martini mirrors his journey: “It’s about patience,” he says. “It’s about discipline for a cocktail like that.”
Then there’s the showstopping version served at Mimi Kakushi, with locations in Dubai and Miami. “Basically, I had to live inside of a freezer for six months,” says Manja Stankovic, group beverage manager at the restaurant’s parent company, Paris Society. His take on the martini, called the Nara Nara, is delivered at 4 degrees within a block of ice. The bespoke bottle is carved out in front of guests, who can then take it home as a memento. “It becomes more of an experience than just a cocktail,” Stankovic says.
We can’t know for sure whether these are the coldest martinis in the world—there’s no Guinness World Record, at least not yet. Plus, you might be able to beat the pros at home. Logins admits that pretty much anyone with a good freezer can achieve similar effects. “We’re not special,” he says. “In fact, the more people do it, the better. I want everybody to drink the world’s coldest martinis.”
