The hottest Martini in New York right now is surely that of Le Veau d’Or, the elegant neo-bistro on East 60th Street in Manhattan. Dubbed the Martini “Our Way,” it comprises two-and-a-half ounces of Old Raj gin, a half-ounce of fino sherry vermouth, and four dashes of orange bitters. It’s served in a squat glass custom made for the bar, and garnished with a twist and/or blue-cheese-stuffed olive. Most notably of all, the Martini arrives with a highball “sidecar” of the ice used to mix the drink plus an additional slug of vermouth, all topped with Spanish mineral water. Pretty cool.
However, when the drink’s creator, Le Veau d’Or bar manager Sarah Morrissey, was asked where serves, in her opinion, the best Martini in New York (while appearing on VinePair’s “Bartender’s Guide” Instagram series), she offered an unexpected choice: Hillstone.
For the uninitiated, Hillstone is a Phoenix-based restaurant group with 38 restaurants in 10 states, most of them named Hillstone. In some locations it’s known more famously as Houston’s, but the group also operates R+D Kitchen, Honor Bar, and Cherry Creek Grill. Whatever the name, they are all mostly the same: elevated chain restaurants with similarly upscale menus.
Though Hillstone has been dubbed “America’s Favorite Restaurant,” and is reportedly adored by “famed chefs,” New York brims with bars and restaurants that have made it their goal to elevate the Martini to an art form — establishments like Maison Premiere, Hawksmoor, Bar Goto, and, indeed, Le Veau d’Or. So what is it that makes Hillstone’s version of the drink so compelling to Morrissey and others in her industry? Is a chain restaurant really home to New York’s best Martini?
The Gospel
Morrissey tells me she has been “preaching the gospel of Hillstone for years now.” Growing up in New Jersey, she’s gone to her hometown Houston’s in Bergen County for years, but didn’t try a Martini there until 2010 or so. Today, she always orders a Tanqueray Martini.
“I would never give them specs,” Morrissey says. “They don’t use jiggers.”
Likewise, per house style, the bartenders at all Hillstone/Houston’s locations don’t include any vermouth, simply shaking the gin (or vodka) with ice; it’s essentially ice cold booze served in a frozen glass. Halfway through the drink, comes Morrissey’s favorite part: “They switch your glass out with another frozen Martini glass.”
Though no one at the famously tight-lipped Hillstone would speak to me, I learned that internally the restaurant group calls this move “the Martini swap.” It’s been around as long as anyone can remember — at least a decade or two — is done at all locations, and has since been adopted by other acolytes and other bars. Though, that’s not to say Hillstone necessarily invented the technique.
In fact, VinePair contributor Robert Simonson wrote an article on the history of the glass swap for his Substack, “The Mix.” In it, he mentioned stumbling upon the technique at famed, upscale hotel bar Bemelmans, and he was gobsmacked when his bartender, Alban Bytyqi, performed the glass swap. Inquiring further, Simonson learned that Bytyqi had also become aware of the method from — you’ve guessed it — Houston’s. (Neither he nor Morrissey have ever worked at any of the Hillstone group’s locations.)
“When, halfway through my Martini, a bartender swooped in to replace my glass with a chilled one, [my wife’s] jaw dropped,” wrote “Bon Appétit’s” Andrew Knowlton when he raved glowingly about “the non-chain chain” in 2016.
Chef Nick Padilla, owner of Spanish seafood bar and restaurant El Pingüino, is also a fan.
“I would say more than I love ‘the Hillstone Martini,’ I love having a Martini at Hillstone,” Padilla says. “It’s what I thought a fancy restaurant was when I was growing up in Minnesota, and as an adult I love the complete lack of pretension and trendiness.”
Indeed, the Martini’s greatness lies in the inherent reason people love chains: because they’re always consistent — always deliver what you expect and want, no matter where you are in the world.
“You walk into Hillstone and you know exactly what you’re getting,” says Morrissey. “It’s like the Gibson at Keens [Steakhouse] — it’s just cold Boodles, no vermouth, lots of shitty white onions, and it’s perfect.”
No Fuss
Given the rave reviews, I had to try Hillstone’s Martini for myself.
On a brisk Monday afternoon, VinePair managing editor Tim McKirdy and I met at the Hillstone on Park Avenue. Despite the early hour and frigid temperatures, when I spun through the revolving doors, I was shocked to find the oval bar almost completely packed, as were most of the dining room’s dark leather booths. This was my first time in a Hillstone and, despite the chain restaurant connotations, I liked the relaxed and roomy vibes as well as the pleasant smell of burgers and Hawaiian ribeyes coming from the open kitchen.
There’s something kind of nice about a simple Martini in this era of garish garnishes, sidecar highballs, strange serving vessels, and flashy ’tinis seemingly built more for TikTok than consumption.
The only Martini option on the actual menu, however, surely could not have been the Martini that everyone buzzed about. Called the Crisp Martini, it features Hendrick’s Gin, St-Germain, and Sauvignon Blanc. Good, perhaps, but not a traditional Martini by any standard — nor one we had a hankering for.
We inquired of our bartender what the specs would be if we simply ordered a Vodka Martini. She told us it would include Tito’s, shaken, with a choice of a lemon twist, regular olives, and/or goat-cheese-stuffed olives. It sounded good to us and we both opted for dual garnishes.
Fairly quickly we received our drinks in a classic, V-shaped Martini glass. An unlucky two olives sat balanced across the rim — “The only thing I don’t like,” says Morrissey, “it should be one or three in my mind” — with the twist dunked in. While I rarely drink Vodka Martinis, I had to admit this was sublime. Silky on the palate, stiff, and plentiful (perhaps four ounces of vodka), which is bordering on being a steal for New Yorkers at just $21 a glass.
@subwaysavvy The famous @HILLSTONE martini swap 🍸 #martini #hillstone #gno #girlsnight #drinks #happyhour #nyc #foryou ♬ you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish
And yet, I didn’t want to drink it too fast. I didn’t want to accidentally speed past the glass switch. Nor did I want to inquire about it. I just wanted it to happen, unprompted. That’s part of the magic of it.
Finally, when we were about halfway through our cocktail, back over came our pleasant bartender to dump our drinks into a fresh frozen glass plucked from a freezer. We enjoyed the process (and drink) so much that we decided to try a Gin Martini as well. This was served with Tanqueray and was just as good.
Wobbly and well lubricated enough to head back into the frigid air, I realized there’s something kind of nice about a simple Martini in this era of garish garnishes, sidecar highballs, strange serving vessels, and flashy ’tinis seemingly built more for TikTok than consumption.
At Hillstone you’re getting nothing more, nothing less than a lot of tasty booze for a reasonable price. Just like the chain’s famous spinach artichoke dip or French dip, it’s a sort of “comfort” Martini in these uncomfortable times.
That’s why Morrissey and her other industry cohorts love it so much.
“I don’t want my Martini to be fussy there,” she says. “I don’t want bespoke vermouth, or a $30 coupe glass. I want cold gin made by a bartender who doesn’t know who Dale Degroff is. It’s a restaurant vacation from what I do every day.”
