"Try the World's Greatest Martini at the St Regis" read the subject line of an email sent to us by a PR agency. Sounds pretty good, right? But how are we defining "greatest"? If this press release is to be believed, "greatest" is synonymous with "remarkably expensive," as the martini in question is a jaw-dropping $125.
Served at the St Regis hotel/residence's (former SF Mayor Willie Brown lives there, so you know they're inured to both hyperbole and/or scamminess) Ame Restaurant, this $125 alcoholic beverage inspired adjectives such as "baller" and "Las Vegas-y" among my colleagues, perhaps a disservice to both the excellent sport of basketball and the lovely people of Nevada. I resolved to seek the truth about this drink from the PR person who sent this email. Surely there's more to this story!
Sadly, however, the PR person did not respond to my multiple follow-up emails, so we're forced to rely on the initial missive for information.
Hi Eve, Hope you’re well! For the spirits aficionado in your life who has tried everything, why not give San Francisco’s most luxurious cocktail a whirl?
Why not, indeed?
The team at Ame Restaurant at the St. Regis serves up The World's Greatest Martini - for a cool $125 - made with NOLET'S Reserve Dry Gin for an intense saffron punch to celebrate spring with some serious swagger.
Oh! In answer to your earlier question ("why not"?) the answer is "because it is $125 and also because of the whole 'swagger' part of that thing you just said."
NOLET'S Reserve Dry Gin (SRP $699.99), is the quintessential sipping gin which features defining botanicals of warm, spicy saffron and delicate verbena, each individually distilled allowing for precise and intense flavor profiles.
At this point, I went to the Nolet website, which has many snazzy animations and sound effects! There I learned that Nolet Reserve is "individually numbered and presented in a prestigious gift box." It's bottled at Nolet Distillery, the oldest distillery in Holland (founded by the Nolet family in 1691!). Honestly, this appears to be a gin with a rich heritage and deep family history, all of which I am sure will be appreciated by anyone who heeds the call to "celebrate spring with some serious swagger."
Let us know if you're interested in posting the news about this luxurious cocktail, and shout if you'd like any more info!
And shout I did! But, sadly, after a full day, I never received a response to my follow up questions or my request for a photo of the drink. I can only imagine that the presentation is exquisite, to set off the care taken to prepare this elite gin (which is apparently, I independently discovered, "the World’s Most Expensive Gin").
But, this PR person's silence leaves me to wonder, is the true gin lover the target audience for this martini, or is there a more conspicuous consumer for whom Ame is shooting? After all, can one silently celebrate spring with some serious swagger? Are swaggering spring celebrants the kind of folks who can order a $125 drink without the kind of hoopla one might expect when ordering the Zoo at Farrell's?
Alas, unless one of you goes to the St. Regis, orders it, and reports back, we'll never know.