Best Martini

It’s a match made in heaven: “SRF (single, ruby-red fruit) looking for an elegant and exotic companion. Some call me bitter (I prefer ‘tart), but those who know me say I have an underlying sweetness. Could you be the one for me?” “SPS (single, pink syrup) looking for a pucker-worthy partner. I’m of Persian descent and am well-known for my fragrant flavor. Any takers?” There’s some serious matchmaking going on behind the bar at Eclipse di Sol, where the GRAPEFRUIT ROSEWATER MARTINI was consummated. The $7 cocktail is a delectable marriage of fresh-squeezed juice and essence of rose petals, shaken with vodka, garnished with mint, and served in a sugar-rimmed glass. Call it love at first sip. less...

Like servants, it's so hard to find a really good martini these days. Fruity-flavored martinis are all the rage, but too frequently the combination of syrupy fake-fruit sweetness mixed with alcohol leaves you feeling that you're sipping from an expensive glass of cough medicine. The martinis at JOEL are different. They're flavored with expensive juices and imported nectars. The apple martini, served with a wafer-thin, lightly sweetened baked apple slice, is worth ordering just for the aroma. It's pricey, sure. But what do you expect for the best? "3290 Northside Parkway. 404-233-3500. www.joelrestaurant.com." less...

1026 N. Highland Ave. 404-875-3673 This noisy and crowded, no-frills basement bar in the heart of Virginia- Highland is the perfect place "not" to drink a martini. But the martinis are perfect. The bar staff stores olive juice in plastic condiment bottles and knows how to grace the cocktail with just the perfect squirt. And like all good ones, gin or vodka, the Highland Tap martini is served with additional supplies, in a mini-carafe over ice. For $8.50, you can get a Ketel One martini-and-a-half - considering the quality and quantity of the cocktail, that's a bargain. And after two of them, you won't even notice the crowd. less...

Long before the onslaught of overpriced martini bars, with their attitude-soaked crowds and cigar-choked ambience, this charming neighborhood bar was serving up the gin and vodka ice cold and keeping it that way. Manager Gary Yackel's not-quite patented "carafe of liquor set in a snifter of ice and soda water" technology keeps the 3.5-ounce martini perfectly chilled without dilution. And with its martini prices coming in about $1-$2 below the competition, here's hoping the Tap is serving them long after the fad passes. less...