Why do cruise ships have Martini bars?

[Lsimon]

Why? Two reasons:

1. Because than can.

2. Because someone once said "if you build it there they will come" and we do!

 

Martini Bar on the Eclipse

 

 

I did that video! Unfortunately they don't do the ring of fire any more.:( One of the bartenders said that they melted the plumbing once and that put a quick end to it!:eek:

 

But the bartenders do put on a big show at prime times by juggling the bottles and drinks and pouring large numbers of drinks simultaneously. The martini bar is a fun place to enjoy a pre-dinner drink.

 

If someone is unfamiliar with the types of martinis they serve on the ships then I have three generations of Martini Menu on my photo site. The latest from the Eclipse last February (not all that readable as the material was hard to photograph in the dim light), one from 2007 and one from 2006. Most of the martini bartenders on the ships know how to make all the old ones and they'll try any other type you want and replace it no charge if you don't like it. Click here for the menu photos

[Christine Frances]

Oh no, say it isn't so:eek: No ring of fire! I saw that video and I got really excited as I wanted to see it on the Eclipse when we get to go to the Baltic's!!

[Lois R]

I saw that Ring of Fire up close and personal:D:):Dit was great!

[welshgirl001]

Do it!

 

OK i will the cruise and the "flight" :D

 

:D

:D

[dkjretired]

I saw that Ring of Fire up close and personal:D:):Dit was great!

 

I believe we were with you at the time. The best thing to order is the sampler, I think you get 12 small glasses of different types of martinis. That is what they usually do in the show.

 

I've had the chocolate martinis in different places including at a friends house. Have to take it easy now since I just got diagnosed with Diabetes..

[Lois R]

I believe we were with you at the time. The best thing to order is the sampler, I think you get 12 small glasses of different types of martinis. That is what they usually do in the show.

 

I've had the chocolate martinis in different places including at a friends house. Have to take it easy now since I just got diagnosed with Diabetes..

 

Don, you are correct:D it was that first 4 night cruise on Equinox

after she arrived from Europe!:)

[Chicago Boy]

I have obviously missed something here as the last time I had a Martini was in a tall glass with lemonade (the English kind, close to Sprite in taste) and a slice of lemon over 20 years ago.

 

Please someone enlighten me. :confused:

Cruise ships have Martini bars because it is a great way to socialize and they make a ton of money off them. My favorite is a Grey Goose Martini with 3 Wasabi Olives. Enjoy your cruise and have a Martini!:)

[uktog]

Because they make a profit for the line.

 

This is the reason spot on. You could ask the same question of why do they have photographers, shops, bingo, a casino. Its a nice place to drink if you enjoy a martini or want to try one but the rationale as to why they do or do not have such a bar, ir why they have a Molecular Bar, Wine Cellar et al is no big deal

[Conniepo]

Cruise ships have Martini bars because it is a great way to socialize and they make a ton of money off them. My favorite is a Grey Goose Martini with 3 Wasabi Olives. Enjoy your cruise and have a Martini!:)

 

I too like Grey Goose but never had a wasabi olive .... sounds delish! :D

 

Connie

[miched]

Because they are the new fashion drink and they can charge a premium for putting any drink in a martini glass and call it a martini.

 

On the Van Gogh Vodka site there are over 12,000 martini recipes. Most are common drinks with a martini name eg orange juice martini is nothing more than a screwdriver in a martini glass. There is also a bourbon martini, AKA Manhattan.

 

Vodka use to be one of the cheaper liquors, through creative marketing it has become a premium especially in the form of infused vodka. Ever have vodka infused with juniper berry? It is something new but been around a long time, AKA gin. So a true martini has always been made with infused vodka.

 

 

 

 

 

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[iancal]

R e v e n u e

[Keith1010]

R e v e n u e

 

 

LOL. Great post.

 

Keith

[Orator]

Unfortunately some folks don't want to recognize that Celebrity and its parent company are in business to make a profit. Executives are judged not by their "friendliness" or "concern for their customers", but by how much they improve the bottom line. Every department has profit goals for every cruise. Bars have target numbers to meet. Managers are rewarded if they exceed their numbers, replaced if they don't. The same can be said about every department on the ship. Give enticements if they increase the bottom line, don't give them if they don't. Hate to sound cynical but, business is business. Guess it's time for a martini.

[DuncanHusky]

I want to give a shout-out to one of our favorite bartenders on the Millennium a few weeks ago: Putu at the Martini Bar (in the Platinum Club) was simply awesome. He's designated a "Flair" Bartender, which is apparently a title that one must earn. Not only was he sharp and funny, by the end of the trip it became a game with our group to ask him for something vague, like "something with berries" or "something with gin and slightly sour". He hit a home run every single time! Man, now I want one of his variations on a Twentieth-Century Martini...

 

(Oh, and he made a mean Spicy Caesar for one of my Canadian friends. Good, but it darned near killed me!)

[Christine Frances]

We first met Putu when we cruised from Auckland to Vancouver in 2009 on the Millie and we were so happy to meet up with him again in Feb:D He is very funny and talented and now has added card tricks to his resume!

[Jo and Rob]

If someone is unfamiliar with the types of martinis they serve on the ships then I have three generations of Martini Menu on my photo site. The latest from the Eclipse last February (not all that readable as the material was hard to photograph in the dim light), one from 2007 and one from 2006. Most of the martini bartenders on the ships know how to make all the old ones and they'll try any other type you want and replace it no charge if you don't like it. Click here for the menu photos

 

Thank you for posting the Martini menus, I think that I should probably start with the flight!

 

It is interesting that the Martini bar gets people really excited but you don't hear the same enthusiasm for the molecular bar.

[DuncanHusky]

It is interesting that the Martini bar gets people really excited but you don't hear the same enthusiasm for the molecular bar.

 

I guarantee you I'd be excited about the Molecular Bar if I'd sailed on a ship that had one ;) (I'm a cooking geek and a cocktail geek - I was very disappointed when I found out the Millennium didn't have a Molecular Bar!)

[Conniepo]

I guarantee you I'd be excited about the Molecular Bar if I'd sailed on a ship that had one ;) (I'm a cooking geek and a cocktail geek - I was very disappointed when I found out the Millennium didn't have a Molecular Bar!)

 

OK - gotta ask .... what's a "molecular bar"? :confused:

 

Connie

[Gonzo70]

OK - gotta ask .... what's a "molecular bar"? :confused:

 

Connie

 

It is a bar that has exotic type cocktails with interesting ingredients such as rose petals. Some drinks there use liquid nitrogen which causes the drink to smoke for a while and freezes the top layer of the drink. There are about 14 or so different cocktails, all very unique, and all costing $12. I will try to find and attach a couple of photos.

 

Edit - Here are a couple of photos:

 

[celebritydave]

I want to give a shout-out to one of our favorite bartenders on the Millennium a few weeks ago: Putu at the Martini Bar (in the Platinum Club) was simply awesome. He's designated a "Flair" Bartender, which is apparently a title that one must earn. Not only was he sharp and funny, by the end of the trip it became a game with our group to ask him for something vague, like "something with berries" or "something with gin and slightly sour". He hit a home run every single time! Man, now I want one of his variations on a Twentieth-Century Martini...

 

(Oh, and he made a mean Spicy Caesar for one of my Canadian friends. Good, but it darned near killed me!)

 

We have had Putu twice - he is a fantastic bartender and a really nice person. On the Constellation in 2004, he made a paper rose for my wife and she still has it. We are glad to hear he is still around and we would love to sail with him again.

 

We have also had Peter twice and he is very good too. After the first night, he treated us like regular customer and made us special drinks.

[Lois R]

Quote:

"It is interesting that the Martini bar gets people really excited but you don't hear the same enthusiasm for the molecular bar"

 

It is a totally different type of bar. I know many people who love it.

We might be a smaller group, that is why you don't hear about it

as much but when I sail the S class? I am probably in the minority

but I love the Molecular Bar:). Now, I have read some postings from

people who were not happy with the particular bartender in there.

I have been very happy with my bartenders:D

As for the Martini Bar? I also enjoy drinking in that venue;) but

the Molecular (in my opinion) is quite different and I enjoy it there

very much.

That is why they offer different bars......each one of us can

drink where we want and find a bar we enjoy:)

[rothjer]

1 martini, 2 martini, 3 martini...Floor!

 

X has some of the tastiest and most potent martini's around!

 

The martini flight in itself is enough booze to my you light on your feet

 

Sometimes 3 martini's is a bit messy too.

 

When wife says cruise, I say X

 

When wife says X, I think martini's !

[DrKoob]

There are Martini Bars for so many reasons but the biggest reason I know is so the Martini Mates can meet there.

 

Now that I have the personal funny stuff out of the way, some thoughts on the Martini Bar. First, if you really love martinis, skip the flights. Here's why. Martini's should be served ice cold and when they do the flights, they often create them and bring them out on a tray. By that time you drink them, they are highly watered down, or can be. Do yourself a favor. Try a different one every night and skip the flights.

 

Next, one of the reasons the Martini Bars have become so popular on X ships is that for years (X kind of old timer talking here) Martini Bar bartenders and waiters not only served incredible drinks, they put on quite a show. The grandmaster for many years (ask an old timer) was Sudi. He trained many of the current bartenders in X Martini Bars. For those of you who have never seen Sudi (or any of those that have followed in his footsteps) check him out in a movie here: http://web.mac.com/jimbellomo/Barcelona-Century_2007/Sudi.html He left X in 2009 but he and one wonderful Martini Bar waiter named Eliseo on Infinity are the reason we got hooked and started the Martini Mates.

 

Great drinks (somewhat expensive), outstanding service, bartenders who rock and so much more make X Martini Bars THE place to be onboard before dinner...and after. Try them when you go onboard.

[BettyCruiser]

Since no one has posted a picture of a chocolate martini yet. My favorite dessert onboard;):D

[LeftcoastBC]

YOu Drink Martini's in a Martini Bar ? What an unusual concept.

 

Here I thought that it was because of the "FARTING" cushions on the Solstice that it was so crowded.

 

Sudi opened the first Martini bar in the fleet on the Zenith..... taught me all I needed to know about martini's.

 

They take all the corners off those issues Called Life.

 

BTW the little guy would not allow (very politely) you to have more than one ..... the second one was just a wee pour of frozen gin or vodka into your empty glass with a new olive to get you to dinner. (on the house) & the first drink was HUGE.

 

How times have changed.