The timeless martini takes center stage this year as every year —not in a glass, but through the lens of a bartender who knows a thing or two about martinis. In a unique collaboration between Belvedere Vodka and Maison Assouline, Martini Icons is a week-long exhibition of the martini cocktail. Curated and photographed by Agostino Perrone, the award-winning Director of Mixology at London’s The Connaught Bar.
Running from June 13 to 20 at Maison Assouline in London’s Piccadilly, the exhibition marks a creative fusion of cocktail culture, visual storytelling, and luxury design. Celebrating what is informally known as “Martini Month,” Martini Icons isn’t just a showcase of beautiful images—it’s a meditation on style, ritual, and shared experience. The opening party featured two gorgeous martinis, including Stir with Belvedere 10, Gonzalez Byass Una Palma Fino Sherry, Ikigai La Tomato Liqueur and Tonka Bitters. Wow. Some martini icons were in attendance too, including global martini figurehead Alessandro Palazzi, Salvatore Calabrese, Peter Dorelli and ex Dorchester legend Giuliano Morandin.
The Martini as a Cultural Symbol
Few cocktails have achieved the kind of cultural resonance that the martini enjoys. It has been immortalised in film, referenced in literature, and long associated with sophistication, confidence, and exacting taste. But what gives the martini its mystique?
Perrone, both a mixologist and an accomplished photographer, offers a fresh lens on this enduring icon. Through ten evocative photographs, he seeks to capture the people, gestures, and settings that define its spirit, besides the cocktail. Each image tells a story—of elegance, intimacy, and timeless glamour—inviting viewers to reconsider the martini not simply as a drink, but as a ritual of identity and expression.
Belvedere 10
As part of the exhibition, Belvedere Vodka has commissioned three exclusive images that spotlight Belvedere 10, the brand’s pinnacle expression. These new works are being unveiled for the first time within the exhibition and showcase the synergy between Perrone’s refined eye and the vodka’s luxurious character. Belvedere 10 is a stunning vodka that begins with a single harvest of organic Diamond Rye, grown in a single field on an estate in north-east Poland. Belvedere 10 stands at an extravagant 10 levels tall, in tribute to the liquid’s meticulous 10-step creation process. What does it taste like? A lovely creamy mouthfeel and a light sweetness, with bursts of other flavours like caramel and green coffee. This is a VERY smooth vodka.
The martini may be a classic, but here it meets a contemporary interpretation—minimal, sleek, and distilled to its essence. These new images serve as both a celebration and a reinvention, echoing Belvedere’s ongoing commitment to quality and craftsmanship.
Maison Assouline and Swan’s Bar
Housed in a 1920s building designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, Maison Assouline provides a suitably elegant setting for the show. Known for its rich cultural programming and stylish atmosphere, the space seamlessly blends literature, design, and hospitality. The in-house Swans Bar will offer guests the chance to experience the Belvedere 10 Luxury Martini, crafted specially for the exhibition. The legends at Maison Assouline, from bar manager Gabor Onufer through to the utterly captivating Felix Silveira and everyone in between, are artists. The work they do at Swan’s Bar is wonderful, and this is one of the very best bars in town and a hangout for many in the know.
Whether you’re a cocktail aficionado or an admirer of photography, Martini Icons offers a rare opportunity to experience the martini in a new light—one that lingers long after the final sip.
To discover more, visit belvederevodka.com
“I never go jogging, it makes me spill my martini.”
George Burns
Imagery courtesy of Belvedere Vodka.