London's Bocca Di Lupo Showcases The 50:50 Martini

We've reviewed Bocca di Lupo before, but it's always good to check in. On our latest visit, we're pleased to report, the seasonally based menu is as above reproach as ever. Right now you can enjoy some of the most bountiful raw sea urchins we've ever had. I often eat sea urchins this way in Puglia, southern Italy, but have never seen them so fatly full of the tangerine-hued roe. They source them from Iceland and Scotland, the waiter told us, so, drum roll .... these are one of the rare things that Italians do not do better. We later tried the pasta with sea urchin, another standout, full of sea flavour and texture.

My favorite dish however was the heavenly golden fresh pasta tajarin (ribbon-like noodles, from Piedmont) with raw duck egg and parmesan. It brimmed with soft golden egg yolk on the top and was the butteriest, creamiest, cheesiest and yolkiest possible. This is the ideal food for winter. It's official.

We were there, though, to try out the martini. This is new for Bocca, reviving the old Italian tradition of the 50:50 martini, whose purpose, apparently, is 'exalting vermouth'. Whatever, it feels particularly right to sip martinis at the bar, with a selection of small plates as accompaniment.

We tried the puni-tini with puni nova, vermouth del professore and a lemon twist, which is a whiskey take on 50:50 – good if you like whisky, but the flavor is a bit overpowering if not. We preferred the gin-vermouth versions, such as the tangy antica formula with Hendricks and a lemon twist, or the Cocchi Rosa, with the German Monkey 47 and a grapefruit twist. The fruit gives the martini a citrus uplift, so they are positively healthy, surely. What can be better than superlative Italian tapas? Tip-top citrus martinis to start things off. This is an Italian tradition well worth investigating: but which Italian tradition isn't?

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