Taste Test: $7 martinis at Cucina Morini
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The Morini Martini (left) and bar space. Photo: Anna Spiegel
In the era of $22 cocktails, we had to try Cucina Morini's $7 martinis — poured all night at the new Italian restaurant's aperitivo bar in Mt. Vernon Triangle.
Dig in: The tiny 'tini lounge channels Italy with a standing-room-only bar, plus a few places to perch.
- The $7 drink menu, offered Tuesday through Sunday starting at 5pm, includes classic dirties, "espress-oh!" martinis, DIYs with Bombay gin or Skyy vodka, and a house martini with capers and dill.
- To eat: $6 snacks include homemade chips with onion dip or marinated olives.
What to try: The Morini Martini. New York-based Altamarea Group bar director Kelly Verado tells Axios she wanted to riff on a dirty — dirty riffs are all the rage in NYC — and she was inspired by lox bagels (sans salmon).
- The Vesper-style drink mixes vodka and gin, though you can opt for one spirit, plus homemade dill-infused bianco vermouth, caper brine, and white pepper.
Thought bubble: Having just visited Sicily, the martini took me back. It's bracing and briny, as if the Ionian Sea had a signature cocktail.
Between the lines: Go early. No surprise, $7 martinis are popular. "We're flying through them," says Verado.
- Last Friday the tiny bar sold around 300 martinis, plus more in the restaurant.
The intrigue: The lounge drinks are half an ounce smaller than the full versions in the dining room. It's $14 for the Morini Martini there, still not bad.
Zoom in: Cheap drinks are getting buzz, but chef Matt Adler's menu is the star.
- I loved the Sicilian-style dishes like citrusy crudos, homemade stracciatella cheese with anchovies and salsa verde, sfincone (tomato bread), and eggplant pasta alla norma — plus you can get any pasta in a full or half portion, ideal for sampling or saving.
If you go: Cucina Morini (901 4th St. NW) opens at 5pm and is closed on Mondays.