Arranging yourself in a huge martini glass is harder than the sultry Dita VonTeese will have you think, as I found out at London's latest and suavest art exhibition, The Legends of The Martini. The exhibit opened on the 31st of July in the suitably sophisticated and intimidating setting of The Royal Academy's marbled floors, high ceilings and great windows overlooking Mayfair.
The martinis we drank at the event tasted as crisp as the edges on this black and white photo look.
So we came, we drank, and we trotted down the stone steps at closing a little bit lighter for it. More importantly though, amongst the lemon twists and olives floating about the place, there was a capsule collection of art. Curated by London College of Fashion graduate Tork Turk, upstairs you could peruse an interesting collection of audio clips, photographic prints and installations representing the charm and charisma of iconic figures associated with the martini. Think James Bond, Ernest Hemingway and Elizabeth Taylor. The arrangement included commissioned work by the likes of Chris Read, Gemma Tickle and Jess Bonham, all of whom are fairly prominent in their respective fields of artistic media.
The fun doesn't stop there though, because Belvedere Vodka have set up a bookable drinking experience in a room next door where you can discover, with the help of a mixologist expert, what type of martini you should be making iconic. But best of all of course, you can hop into a martini glass and get your picture papped nestled with some giant fabric olives.
