London's Best Hotel Bars

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Civilised drinking: Pete Clark at The Coburg Bar at The Connaught

DJ friendly: The Bar at The Dorchester

Live jazz: The Donovan Bar at Browns

Media tribe: Refuel Bar at the Soho Hotel

Colourful: The Blue Bar at The Berkeley

Popular with locals: Dukes Bar at Dukes Hotel

European crowd: The Long Bar at The Sanderson

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THE COBURG BAR AT THE CONNAUGHT
Carlos Place, W1 (020 7499 7070, www.the-connaught.co.uk)
Décor: luxuriously designed by Paris-based India Mahdavi. The small room is dimly lit, with large armchairs and a long bar with stools for the solo drinker. Artworks by Julian Opie.
Bar tribe: a smart, cosmopolitan bunch, who are as likely to peruse the wine list as opt for a cocktail.
Signature drink: an apple martini (£12), made with the hotel's home-marinated cinnamon, pear and apple liqueur.
Finger food: olives and crisps for now, but Michelin-starred chef Helen Darroze arrives shortly and will design a French tapas-style menu.
Night to visit: Thursdays are buzziest.

WHISKY MIST AT ZETA, THE HILTON
The Hilton, Park Lane, W1 (020 7208 5067, www.whiskymist.com)
Décor: excessive. Designed in part by Christopher Bailey, the bar is covered with animal prints and crocodile-effect wallpaper.
Bar tribe: the brains behind it are Nick House and Piers Adam, founders of Mahiki, along with blond society party-boy Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe. Expect young, beautiful and well-heeled punters.
Signature drink: whisky is a big feature, but show-offs can order the Tree of Life (£700), a drink serving eight people served in a silver trophy cup. Vodka, fresh lemon and pear juice, honey and a magnum of Krug.
Finger food: Scottish. Smoked salmon, Aberdeen Angus steak and scallops.
Night to visit: their opening night is next Tuesday. Beg, borrow or steal an invite.

REFUEL BAR AT THE SOHO HOTEL
4 Richmond Mews, W1 (020 7559 3000, www.firmdale.com)
Décor: reminiscent of an Importance of Being Earnest stage set with its pale greens and neutrals, though a vast mural injects some life. Kit Kemp, who with her husband Tim owns the string of Firmdale hotels, is responsible.
Bar tribe: a hip Soho media crowd conducting meetings over mojitos. Clientele includes Kevin Spacey, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kylie Minogue.
Signature drink: Refuel (£10.50) — a sherbet-type mix of vodka, passionfruit liqueur, Chambord and lychee juice. But barman Chris Amey will whip up a bespoke cocktail.
Finger food: complimentary Bombay mix can be bolstered by soft-shell crab tempura and salt and chilli squid.
Night to visit: Fridays, when the cocktail attitude is more carefree.

THE LONG BAR AT THE SANDERSON
50 Berners Street, W1 (020 7300 1400, www.sandersonlondon.com)
Décor: famed for the 80ft bar, made from white onyx and glowing with light. A cracking place to people-watch from.
Bar tribe: mostly a young, rich European bunch, though wannabe WAGS can often be seen.
Signature drink: blackberry and lemongrass martini (£12) — currant vodka, lemongrass, blackberries, crème de mure and elderflower cordial. Summery and fresh.
Finger food: excellent; nibbles come from the hotel's Malaysian restaurant Suka. Think scallop skewers, fishcakes and papaya salad.
Night to visit: Sundays, but be early for summer chill sessions from 1pm, with DJs playing in the courtyard.

THE BLUE BAR AT THE BERKELEY HOTEL
Wilton Place, SW1 (020 7235 6000, www.the-berkeley.co.uk)
Décor: blue, unsurprisingly, with a black bar and classy black mock-croc floor all put together by David Collins.
Bar tribe: Madonna's favourite bar in London, but otherwise brimming with shiny business types.
Signature drink: the Italian Job (£14.50) fusing young and old with Campari, passionfruit vodka and orange. But mojitos are the biggest seller.
Finger food: square paprika chips, nuts and olives but you can order bigger dishes such as hoisin chicken wraps.
Night to visit: Tuesdays take off from about 11pm ... it's one of the few bars open until 1am on a Tuesday night.

DUKES BAR AT DUKES HOTEL
St James's Place, SW1 (020 7491 4840, www.dukeshotel.com)
Décor: very old-school, with fringed crushed-velvet chairs and a small bar.
Bar tribe: a man's bar; Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan are among the regulars.
Signature drink: Ian Fleming's Classic Vesper Martini (£16.50) Crown Jewel gin, Potocki vodka, Angostura bitters, Lillet. Riskily mixes vodka and gin, which is “illegal”, apparently.
Finger food: it's more about the vodka, but there are olives and cashew nuts.
Night to visit: Wednesdays, when the bar is usually busy with regular locals.

THE DONOVAN BAR AT BROWNS HOTEL
1 Albermarle Street, W1 (020 7493 6020, www.brownshotel.com)
Décor: akin to a comfortable country house; more than 50 Terence Donovan prints line the walls.
Bar tribe: British, mostly a pashmina-wearing crowd dropping in from work in surrounding art galleries and shops.
Signature drink: the Box Brownie (£13.50), a champagne cocktail with strawberries marinated in Cointreau and lychee liqueur.
Finger food: like a short gastropub list.
Night to visit: there is live jazz every night from 9pm — except on Sundays.

CLARIDGE'S BAR AT CLARIDGE'S
Brook Street, W1 (020 7499 8860, www.claridges.co.uk)
Décor: classically art deco; tables are spaced to avoid eavesdropping neighbours.
Bar tribe: A-listers and City professionals, the only ones who can afford the drinks list — 16 pages of champagne options, and Chateau Petrus for £2,900.
Signature drink: the Flapper (£15) — strawberries, crème de cassis and champagne, a drink as old as the bar itself.
Finger food: plentiful but expensive; caviar and foie gras tasting menus.
Night to visit: Friday. “This is the best bar in London for doing business,” says a property-dealing friend.

THE BAR AT THE DORCHESTER
Park Lane, W1 (020 7629 8080, www.thedorchester.com)
Décor: the rows of red glass stalagmites lend it a trendy, space-age feel and the lighting is dim. A fun place to bring a date.
Bar tribe: American businessmen having a drink before dinner downstairs at China Tang, though Kate Moss often drops by too.
Signature drink: The Dorchester 75th (£14), created to celebrate the hotel's anniversary and made from gin, nettle cordial, fresh mint, apple juice and English sparkling wine.
Finger food: order only if very hungry because “bites” such as a Wagyu steak sandwich or whole lobster salad are substantial. The banoffee pie is exceptional.
Night to visit: Mondays, when celebrated Canadian DJ Tom Mannix plays a live set from 9pm.

 

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