By Dr. Ink

If you’re as finicky about martinis as James Bond (“shaken, not stirred”), Martinis Above Fourth has you covered, and if liberal measures of vodka rank among your demands, fasten your seatbelt for 10-ounce pours.

“At other places, I usually have to know the bartender to get drinks this strong,” my companion commented as we extended our pinky fingers for a couple of high-octane dirty martinis made with Svedka vodka.

As of this week, the price for martinis during happy hour inches up a buck to $5, still an alluring deal considering that a single drink can feel like three to the occasional boozer.

The revisions made to happy hour now feature new half-priced appetizers and drinks ranging from $1 to $5. In addition, the deals are for the taking on Mondays, from 4 p.m. to close, allowing those who lacked gaiety over the weekend to make up for lost time.

The cheapest drinks on the new menu are “mini-tinis,” which contain a selected signature martini in a shot glass. They sell for $1 apiece and can include everything from a “thin mint” and “sugar plum fairy” to a “mango tango” and non-kiddy “root beer float.”

Bottled Corona and pint-sized drafts cost $2; well cocktails are $3; wines by the glass ring in at $4; and those mighty martinis along with cosmopolitans, lemon drops and other fruity concoctions top off at $5.

Adding to the appeal is Martinis’ patio bar, an urban perch in San Diego’s LGBT epicenter that affords plenty of wiggle room for mingling and conversation. Linger beyond sunset and you can soak in live entertainment emanating most nights from the loungy dining room. Just keep your caboose parked at the bar or non-dressed tables in order to enjoy the cost breaks.

Martinis’ famous crab cakes with spicy remoulade have been fortunately spared the axe on the revamped food menu. Priced normally at $12, they’re every bit as sizable and zesty when slashed to only $6 during happy hour. Although if you begin losing count of your drink intake, the newly introduced sharp cheddar mac-n-cheese for $5 is the way to go for regaining equilibrium. If your wobble persists, use the money you saved during happy hour and sashay over to the cushy dining room for a sobering filet mignon stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon ($29).

RATINGS:

Drinks: 5
Martini aficionados will revel over the 10-ounce vodka pours and crafty cocktails that fly throughout this second-floor patio both during and after happy hour. The deals cater to beer and wine drinkers as well.

Food: 4/5
Look for a new half-price appetizer menu starting this week, although don’t pass up the semi-spicy crab cakes, which have become a mainstay over the years.

Value: 5/5
The $5 martinis give you a lot of bang for the buck, while the new “mini-tinis” priced at $1 apiece show off their artful mixology in single shot glasses.

Service: 5/5
The cheerful, fast-working bartenders attest to the fact that Martinis has been slinging award-winning cocktails for at least the past decade.

Duration: 4/5
Mondays are no longer a dread now that Martinis offers happy hour deals from 4 p.m. to closing. Midweek allows you to drink, eat and save for three hours each day while Fridays and Saturdays demand you get your buzz on within two hours.

Martinis Above Fourth
3940 Fourth Ave., Suite 200 (Hillcrest)
619-400-4500
Happy Hour: 4 p.m., to close on Mondays; 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; and 4 to 6 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays.