Never Met a Martini They Didn't Like—or Put on the Menu

Comments (0) By Grace Bastidas Tuesday, Aug 19 2003

photo: Tania Savayan

Move over, cosmo.

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Bartini's Lounge
1 Station Square, Forest Hills, Queens
718.896.5445

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Featuring over 600 martinis, this spot, located in the basement of the Forest Hills Inn in Queens, leaves the much revered cosmopolitan in the dust. Whether dry, dirty, shaken, or stirred, the dark den of excess has a flavor for every taste. The chart-like 21-page menu divulges ingredients, ratios, and garnishes in $9 drinks like the Vampire-Proof martini, which arrives with a garlic-stuffed olive, and Le Diamant, a cocktail composed of eight parts vodka and one part balsamic vinaigrette, dressed up with fresh tarragon. There are holiday concoctions for Christmas and Halloween, ethnic delights (Latino Lactation), career options (Journalist martini, You're Fired martini), alternative palate-pleasers like the Veggitini, and much more. Flickering candles, Moroccan-style banquettes, and plush couches allow for plenty of comfort for the decision-making process. The Italian Ice martini (citrus vodka, sweet-and-sour mix) tasted like a melted summer treat gone bad. The Guru martini (vodka, gin, raspberry liqueur, orange liqueur, cranberry juice), a mediciny-tasting mix, should be called "Robitussini." The Coconut Groove (infused vodka with coconut meat) was deliciously sweet. With so much to choose from, you'll want to come during happy hour, Monday through Friday, 5 to 8 p.m., for the two-for-one special. And if all else fails, ladies drink free cosmopolitans on Thursday nights from 9 to 11.