Times Cryptic No 29273 — Went down easy (the martini, I mean)

29:56, perhaps a bit overblown, as the puzzle felt a bit gentler than the time suggests. I’m sitting here at a restaurant with two fellow NYC puzzlers, solving while sipping a martini and chatting idly. I really enjoyed this puzzle, although my tablemate just grimaced at 26 down, for what that’s worth.