Throughout October, the Ketel One Martini Cocktail Route comes to leading local cocktail venues in cities around the world. There, bartenders are serving their own take on the Ketel One Martini Cocktail, from Espresso and Vesper Martini Cocktails to Tomatini Cocktails and serves that are truly unique.
The route opened in every participating city on 1 October and runs all month, with Milan having hosted on 7 October, when the city hosted The World’s 50 Best Bars, the global ranking celebrating the best bars in the world. As its official vodka partner, Ketel One is spending the whole of October celebrating the most iconic cocktail in cocktail culture, in the bars shaping that culture today.
Why the Martini Cocktail, why Ketel One
What you order at the bar often says more about you than you might think. Some cocktails are more than just a drink: they’re a statement of personal taste, and no cocktail is a clearer badge of personality and taste than the Martini Cocktail. From the Vesper Martini Cocktail’s silver-screen fame to the Dirty Martini Cocktail’s devoted following, it has been a cultural icon for generations. Timeless, sophisticated and endlessly personal, from Dirty to Dry to Espresso, each variation tells a different story. For those who know, the story is in the details: how you take it, and what it’s made with.
For Ketel One, that story is personal: the Martini Cocktail was the muse for Ketel One, the very reason the vodka was created. With only a handful of ingredients, the spirit takes centre stage, which is why bartenders consider the Martini Cocktail the ultimate test of quality. Ketel One’s smooth, crisp taste and unique long finish bring the perfect balance to the serve, giving bartenders the ideal base for their creativity. Family Made by eleven generations of the Nolet family, Ketel One is the #1 preferred brand for Espresso Martini Cocktails in the World’s Best Bars, according to Drinks International’s 2026 Brand Report. Asking for a Ketel One Martini Cocktail is a small detail, but it’s one the best bartenders notice.
The Route: where the Martini Cocktail gets reimagined
Participating cities include Milan, London, Edinburgh, Dubai, Beirut, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens, Dublin, Cork, New York City, Puerto Rico, Medellín, Cartagena and Bogotá, each bringing its own bar culture and interpretation of the Martini Cocktail. Stand out participating bars include Angelita in Madrid, Sips in Barcelona, Alquimico in Cartagena and The Connaught in London.
From intimate speakeasies and luxury hotels to refined restaurants, each venue on this curated route will serve a dedicated, co-branded Ketel One Martini Cocktail menu featuring the bar’s own Martini Cocktail creation, alongside a local city map and QR code linking to the full route. Explore the bars in your city, or further afield, and find the Martini Cocktail that matches your taste.
“When people order their Martini Cocktail it’s often done with the same confidence as how they order their coffee: exactly to their taste. Bartenders are meeting that with real creativity. The Martini Cocktail is where Ketel One’s story began, and it’s the perfect canvas for that creativity. This route is our way to celebrate cocktail culture and the bars making it personal” says Nannick Jansen, Senior Brand Manager, Ketel One.
