Martini Temples

THE TEMPLES OF THE COCKTAIL MARTINI
Gin Corner - Hotel Adriano, Roma Breaking News: Gin Corner reopens! (And I shall visit it for a nice Martini Sunday 27 April...)

Passing by Rome on my way to the Philpa classic-cars Concours in Athens, we decided to stay at the Hotel Adriano especially because some excellent Martinista did recommend its bar, the aptly named 'Gin Corner'. I obviously had high hopes to find a really good 'Martini Temple' here, and, for once, I was not disappointed. Au contraire, I found in this corner an exceedingly amiable host (Ms Barbara Ricci), two impeccable, young but expert bartenders (Mr Patrick Pistolesi and his deputy Davide) and....65 different gins!

What is really good, in this 'Corner', is that you can have a good talk with Patrick discussing the different gins that he stocks; the shelves of the 'Corner' are groaning under the weight of dozens of gin bottles (he keeps a few gin bottles in the freezer as well) and he claims that he also stocks many different vermouths, though I cannot be sure of that because I was too busy enjoying the differences between the 'Death Door' (very similar to my own home-distilled 409) and other 'botanics' to bother about the stuff that we usually just look at from a distance, i.e. Martini Extra Dry or Kina Lillet


Patrick understood perfectly my need for a very cold, very dry Martini, stirred, no lemon, one olive. One of the best Martinis that you can drink in Italy, if not the best; better still, I enjoyed some other 'testers' for as many different gins.... The Adriano, only a few yards from the Parliament and deep in the heart of ancient Rome, is a really enchanting hotel as well. Don't miss it!

...and while you're in Rome, please remember that a good Martini (or 2 or 3) are best followed by a hearty meal; Piperno's gricia offers you one years' supply of carbohydrates and cholesterol while giving you the excuse of a nice 20 minutes' walk from the Adriano to this superb, old-style Hebrew restaurant just behind Rome's Temple

The Adriano's breakfast room is well stocked even before 7 am, and that is a good thing. The weary traveller needs it after an evening of pleasant gastronomic debauchery

Barbara Ricci is always charming, full of fascinating ideas for her hotel, and her love of the Adriano and of its customers shows in every detail.	This exquisite hotel is, for its customers, a real 'home away from home', something that only the world's best hotels can attain

Leopold's 'Navy Strength Batch no 1303' bottle	Rome can be magical....a gold reflex on a normal silver platter captured during lunch in the fascinating 'Canova atelier' in Vie del Babuino
Hotel Adriano e Domus Adriani 00186 Roma, Via di Pallacorda n°2, Tel. +39.06.68.80.24.51, Fax +39.06.68.80.39.26 From USA Phone: 011.39.06.68.80.24.51, Fax 011.39.06.68.80.39.26, E-mail: info@hoteladriano.com