Bars & Pubs

The crowd at this sleb-favoured hotel haunt is very see-and-be-seen, but it's nice to see the staff don't greet them with the complacency they probably deserve. This is a handsome, cosy room, made lovelier by the low lighting, and the drinks are terrific. On the colourful cocktail list, the bar staff make good on the basics (an impressive whisky sour made with egg whites) and the inventions: our Amber Manhattan, essentially a perfect manhattan made with Macallan ten-year and titivated with maple and pecan liqueur, vanilla, Cointreau and orange bitters, was every bit as stunning as it should have been given its outlandish £16 price tag. Bite your lip and brave the throng.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9