Frequently Asked Questions

All you need to know about World Martini Day®

  1. What is World Martini Day®?

    World Martini Day® is an independently organised global celebration of the Martini, and for bars, brands and everyone to celebrate this wonderful cocktail.

    The Martini is a cocktail that is feared, overlooked, misunderstood and scary in equal measure. It needn't be. It can be made approachable and friendly when made as a Martinez, a great beginner Martini, but very few people know it. Even fewer know about fabulous derivatives made by the great club houses in the late 1800's, such as the Tuxedo Club, Turf Club and the Ford Cocktail, and we want these to be brought to the fore and more widely known.

  2. What is a Real Martini?

    The IBA defines a Martini as a 6:1 gin:dry vermouth ratio. However, we think that's too restrictive.

    Instead, we define a Martini as a drink as 'a predominantly white spirit-forward cocktail mixed with aromatised wine'. In other words, 51% or more of a cocktail must be made of white spirit and vermouth. The only aged spirit we also consider 'allowed' is aged gin (otherwise it's a Manhattan). But we consider any white spirit (usually gin, but vodka, tequila and even blanche Armagnac can also work) and mixed with any fortified or aromatised wine (usually vermouth, but sherry, port and other wines like Marsala can also work).

    Other ingredients like liqueurs and small amounts of other spirits (Maraschino, Curacao, Bénédictine, bitters, Absinthe, Peated Scotch etc) can also be added to a Real Martini, and so long as the drink is essentially a white spirit and aromatised wine, we think it's basically a variation of a Martini, and therefore a Real Martini.

    The definition is loose enough to give bartenders enough creative freedom, but tight enough that it precludes any cocktail that's often just called a 'Martini' because it was served in a V-Shaped glass, such as Espresso, Breakfast or Pornstar Martinis - which have nothing to do with Martinis of any kind.

    There are plenty of examples to choose from: a Martinez, a 2:1 sweet Martini with sweet vermouth and a bit of Maraschino or Curacao liqueur; a Marguerite, a 4:1 Martini using dry vermouth and orange liqueur; any of the 'Club Martinis' such as the Tuxedo Club cocktails No's 1 through 4, Turf Club, Ford Cocktail or Racquet Club.

    And of course unique Martinis using special distillates, bitters, and other liqueurs and flavours are possible - the list is endless. Why are we saying this? Because it's also a condition of use of the World Martini Day® mark that brands, bars and retailers only promote 'Real Martinis'.

  3. When is World Martini Day®?

    World Martini Day® is held on the third Saturday in June every year.

    The next World Martini Day® will be on:

    18 June 2022

    In subsequent years, World Martini Day® will be held on:

    • 17 June 2023
    • 15 June 2024
    • 21 June 2025
    • 20 June 2026
    • 19 June 2027

    In the past, it was held on:

    • 19 June 2021

    Prior to 2021, Martini Day used to be celebrated on 19 June every year, but we've deliberately rescheduled it to ensure it's always one week after World Gin Day (2nd Saturday in June), and thus book-end a week of celebration of gin and it's most formidable cocktail - the King of Cocktails, the Martini.

  4. Why was the schedule for World Martini Day® changed?

    World Martini Day® is now held on the third Saturday in June every year, so it is always a Saturday, not on the 19 June.

    There are many reasons for this:

    • For bars: Having the ability to sell a premium drink that is ridiculously easy for them to serve is a huge boon for them, as volume matters.
    • For brands: Being associated as a product that's greate in a Martini is a huge boon for a brand and therefore it's great for them to get behind World Martini Day®
    • For consumers: A Saturday is a natural evening to relax and entertain oneself, so having Martinis on a Saturday is always a great idea
    • For other events: World Gin Day is the second Saturday in June, and with World Martini Day being on the third Saturday, it allows both to book-end a week of celebrating gin and its most important cocktail.
    • For history: June 19 is 'Juneteenth' in the US, and a Martini has no business mixing with the much more important message of emancipation.

  5. How can I celebrate World Martini Day®?

    Simple: Enjoy a Martini and use the #WorldMartiniDay hashtag!

    If you'd like to go out, you can visit bars participating in World Martini Day®. Find out more: Bars celebrating World Martini Day®.

    If you'd prefer to stay home, have a look at pre-batched Martinis and Masterclasses brands are hosting for World Martini Day®. Find out more: Martinis At Home.

  6. World Martini Day® Special Edition London Dry Gin 2021

    Every year, we invite a distiller to create a limited run of special edition spirit for Martinis - it can be anything that can be used in a Martini.

    For our first year in 2021, we invited Locksley Distilling to create a gin and they've create an extremely junipery London Dry using two types of juniper and vermouth distilled in the gin as a botanical.

    There are only 221 bottles available, and they're available through Locksley Distilling's Online Shop here.

  7. How do I get involved in World Martini Day® as a bar or brand?

    Find out more on Information on how to participate here.

  8. Can I get pre-mixed Martinis to order at home?

    Yes! Since not everyone wants to go out to bars yet (though we thoroughly recommend you do), we have a list of brands offering special World Martini Day® offers for you to enjoy at home.

  9. What's the difference between National Martini Day and World Martini Day?

    Nothing! Historically, National Martini Day was a US-only grassroots day not owned or organised by anyone. However, Martinis are enjoyed across the world, so World Martini Day is much more appropriate.

    Also, there was a lack of coordination for Martini Day, with 4 hashtags: #WorldMartiniDay, #NationalMartiniDay, #MartiniDay and #InternationalMartiniDay. This isn't useful to anyone, so we decided to coaelesce everything behind #WorldMartiniDay, trademark it and then coordinate it properly.