The best hotel bars in London

There’s an old-school glamour to this relatively new bar at Mayfair’s Beaumont hotel. It borrows its slick style of service from the States and combines it with drinks that carry a bit of a kick. The Hollywood greats watch on from portraits covering the walls, so reward yourself with a stiff martini after an Oxford Street shopping trip and you’ll be in very good company.

One of London’s original American-style bars and one of the very first places to introduce US cocktail tradition to British soil, this art deco haven needs to be seen to be believed. Smart staff dress in dapper white suits and serve drinks that are among the capital’s finest. Just consider this for those really special occasions – you’ll be dropping 18 quid per bevvy.

Another one from the pros at the Savoy, a trip to the Beaufort is an equally pricey affair but it’s one that’s worth its weight in gold. That’s because this beauty of a bar is decked in the stuff (and a bit of black). Jazz pianists perform on the regular and champagne cocktails are the specialty, so head here to feel like you’ve been transported to an F Scott Fitzgerald novel.

This Knightsbridge haven is chic, sophisticated and proof that blue is the warmest colour. It’s got blue walls, blue chairs and even blue menus, all part of a look created by late design guru David Collins. Come for a nightcap, when the bar seems more like a moody indigo. Or make it dessert by ordering their divine lemon meringue cocktail.

This is the pinnacle in hotel drinking. Not only is the Connaught Bar draped in plush, silvery furnishings and fitted with a fleet of effortlessly efficient – not to mention dapper – staff, but the place has a dedicated martini trolley. A martini trolley, people. Grab a chair and let the trolley do the rest of the work. You’ve earned it.

Come here for the classics. The Connaught Hotel’s Coburg Bar does them so well in country-house-like surroundings. Furnishings are much softer than in the Connaught Bar nearby, so settle in here for a cosier session with fellow hotel dwellers. Better still, order up a cognac or a glass of fizz – these take pride of place on a menu fit for London’s big spenders.

One for the fashion set and the cocktail connoisseur in equal measure, the London Edition’s bar is a cosy, cosseted backroom with a roaring fire and a party-sized punch bowl. Sounds like a house party at great aunt Mildred’s, but trust us, it’s way cooler than that. Bar staff look like supermodels and have some serious knowledge about the menu to boot. Try something adventurous on the seasonal menu.