West Village hotspot Cecchi’s is known for its martinis.
Recently, the restaurant, which actually uses a line drawing of a martini as its logo, launched the Cecchitini Flight, a selection of three mini martinis.
The flight includes the Classic (“gin or vodka, olive or twist”), the Dirty Girl (“vodka, olive, pickle brine”) and the Appletini (“vodka, apple pucker, lemon”).
Available for $25, the Cecchitini Flights have captured some attention on social media.
Below, owner Michael Cecchi-Azzolina opens up in a Q&A with Appetito about his inspiration for Cecchitinis, what the response to the drink flights has been like and how Cecchi’s chose which martinis to include.
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Q: Can you tell me why you decided to serve a martini flight?
A: When we closed the patio for the season, where we did $25 bottles of Rosé’s for our afternoons at Cecchi’s, we needed a replacement. Since we are famous for our martinis, a smaller version made sense for the afternoons. When I lived in Russia, many of the bars did flights of vodka. Which were incredibly successful. This is our “mini flight” that has our 3 most popular martinis!
Q: What has the response been like?
A: The response has been phenomenal! Our guests order so many!
Q: How long will it be on the menu?
A: It is so popular, we will let it run its natural course. Though when I put the Appletini on our original menu, I thought it would just be seasonal. This is so popular I don’t think it will ever come off the menu. Our guests will kill us. Perhaps the same for the Cecchitinis?
Q: Why did you choose the three martinis included?
A: We had to have a class, and then let’s have fun, so the dirty girl. The appletini is our most popular drink after the classic, so it had to be included.
Q: What do you hope customers will take away from the Cecchitini experience?
A: While we are a serious restaurant, committed to great food and cocktails, it doesn’t mean you can execute great things and still be playful, silly, irreverent and have fun!
