Mountain Views News Saturday, March 7, 2026 
66 FOOD & DRINK Mountain Views News Saturday, March 7, 2026 
66 FOOD & DRINK 
Peter A. Dills 

https://
podlink/1116885432 


THE $44 MARTINI..... 

Seeing It from the Owner’s Side 

Let me lay my cards on the table.
When it comes to gin, my favorite is Monkey 47. It’s not your 
everyday well gin. At the grocery store you’re looking at $60 to 
$70 a bottle. It’s bold, complex, and it makes a beautiful Gibson 
— gin, a splash of vermouth, cocktail onion, lemon twist. 
Clean. Classic. 
So there I was at Granville on South Lake — nice room, upstairs 
bar, good energy. The menu is set up so you choose your 
spirit. Under gin, Monkey 47 is listed at $26 for two ounces.
I asked the bartender, “How do you make a martini with two 
ounces?” She said, “For martinis, you’ll get three ounces.” 
Fair enough. Now here’s where I had my moment.
In most comparable spots around town, you’re paying any


where from $20 to $28 for a premium martini, typically poured at four ounces. Three 
ounces is a shorter pour. Not a crime — just math.
The bill arrived: $44 with tax. 
For about five seconds, I lost my mind. That’s pushing $50 with tip. Not even the Langham 
would hit me like that. 
But then I stopped and tried to see it from the owner’s side.
Monkey 47 is expensive wholesale. It’s a boutique gin with a reputation. Add to that rent 
on South Lake, labor, insurance, licenses, breakage, credit card fees — and suddenly the 
math isn’t quite as simple as what’s in the bottle.
The owner responded to my note and said that Monkey 47 is a very expensive gin and that 
three ounces is a generous pour. He even offered a gift card to help offset the drink next 
time. To me that’s engagement. That’s not hiding.
Still, I know roughly what a bottle costs (My days at Vons). And emotionally, it’s hard not 
to scratch your head.
But Granville isn’t just selling gin. They’re selling location, atmosphere, experience — and 
the ability to order one of the most expensive gins on the shelf. Luxury pricing is about 
positioning as much as cost.
In closing, I’m reminded of another Elmer-ism. My dad used to say, “Never go to a restaurant 
that acts like they’re doing you a favor.” We have choices. Plenty of them.
And to be clear, I’ve never had that sense here at Granville. The staff has always struck me 
as hardworking professionals just trying to make a living in one of the toughest businesses 
there is. I’ve been here three or four times in the past few months, and the service has been 
consistent. 
I’m not always sure who’s in charge — but that may just be the writer in me watching the 
room, studying the rhythm of the bar and the choreography of the floor.
The martini made me pause. The response made me think. 
And in the restaurant business, that’s sometimes the difference between frustration and 

respect. 
Various Locations, but this one has the view. 270 S. Lake Ave. Pasadena 


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