Cheap and almost hangover-free — why the teeny, tiny martini is trending

Trendy bars in New York City and London started offering miniature versions of cocktails like martinis over the past few years. 

The New York Happy Meal — a martini and french fries — is going on a diet.

Younger generations are ditching their elders’ heavier drinking habits, fueling the growth of alcohol-free alternatives and, in turn, causing a slowdown in the spirits category.

The wine and spirits consultancy IWSR said the category saw volumes plummet by 5% in the UK last year. The same year, over in the US, it says spirits sales volumes fell by 2% — the first time in nearly 30 years the consultancy had measured a decline there.

In this environment, martinis at some of the trendiest bars in New York City and London are starting to look a little different.

They still have alcohol — traditionally a mix of dry vermouth and gin — but generally contain just a few ounces of liquid and are served in smaller versions of a standard martini glass that can hold between six and eight ounces.

And once you start noticing them on bar menus, it can quickly start to feel like the tiny martini is everywhere.

Look no further than the Lower East Side’s Bar Valentina’s $10 Teeny ‘Tinis, which a representative says have “really taken off” since introduced to the menu in 2023, or Tao Uptown’s $15 tiny-martini flights.

Across the pond, at Tayēr and Elementary — a London bar regularly ranked close to the top on the World’s 50 Best list — there’s a blue-cheese version dubbed the “One Sip Martini” or OSP.

Missy Flynn, a co-owner of Rita’s, said the signature mini martini that her restaurant came up with in 2021 had become a crowd favorite. 

Missy Flynn, a co-owner who leads the bar operations at Rita’s, an American-inspired restaurant in London’s Soho neighborhood, told B-17 the OSP had influenced the release of their crowd-favorite tiny martini in 2021 — gin-based, three ounces, and topped with an olive, jalapeño, and anchovy-stuffed gilda.

Tayēr and Elementary’s tiny martini debuted in 2019, but a bar representative told B-17: “These days, there is literally no table that wouldn’t order them.”

The beverage’s cult following inspired the bar to launch a dedicated merch line featuring a £75 or $94 sweater.

For a growing number of Gen Zers, 3 to 4 sips of alcohol is plenty

The rise of the teeny-tiny martinis, which can be gulped down in just three to four sips, comes at a time when young people are increasingly disenchanted with alcohol.

In the US, the Pew Research Center found the percentage of adults ages 18 to 35 who said they drank alcohol at least occasionally fell from 72% in 2001-2003 to 62% in 2021-2023.

The sober-curious movement corresponds with the growing market share of the no- and low-alcohol category, which the IWSR expects to increase in volume at a compound annual growth rate of 7% between 2022 and 2026.

Bar Valentina says its Teeny ‘Tinis have “taken off” since being introduced to the menu in 2023. 

Tiny martinis’ diminutive stature could make them more palatable to younger generations.

Smaller cocktails are social-media friendly, appealing to Gen Zer’s love of sharing content online and tapping into the generation’s obsession with “‘mini’ formats in consumer goods,” Claudine Ben-Zenou, the head of IWSR Radius innovation tracking, told B-17.

“It does appeal to people who are looking for something that’s a bit less strong,” Flynn, the co-owner of Ritas, told B-17.

There’s also a difference in price. The tiny martini at Rita’s costs £9 ($11) without the additional £4 ($5) gilda — or garnish arranged on a cocktail skewer — compared with £13.50 to £14.50 ($17 -$18) for the other cocktails listed on the menu.

“As things become more expensive, in London and generally,” Flynn said, “This idea of offering a small version of something that allows that person to have that experience within their time at the restaurant is a good thing.”

Teeny, tiny moments of luxury

Another factor favoring the popularity of the mini martini is a heightened demand for luxury experiences.

Bain & Company’s 2024 luxury monitor found the beleaguered luxury industry had been propped up this year by a growth in demand for luxury experiences.

“Luxury spending has shown remarkable stability this year, despite macroeconomic uncertainty, largely driven by consumers’ appetite for luxury experiences,” said Claudia D’Arpizio, a Bain & Company partner who leads the firm’s global fashion and luxury practice.

In the UK, Flynn said, the martini has historically been viewed as the ultimate luxurious drink.

The last third of a regular-size martini can be difficult to drink as the liquid and glass warm.

“We position them as these kind of special occasion drinks,” she said. “You go to a fancy hotel bar, and you have a martini.”

Tiny martinis might still scratch the itch for a special moment, Flynn added.

“What it offers,” she said, “is that feeling of a mini luxury moment.”