Best Cocktail Bars

Editor’s note: Repeatedly the world's best bar. The Connaught Martini is reason enough to stop here once a month.

Consistently ranked among the world's finest bars, the Connaught Bar is a masterpiece of Art Deco design by David Collins. The martini trolley, mixed tableside, is one of the great rituals of London cocktail culture.

Editor’s note: Polished, art-deco, ageless. The flutes are kept ice-cold and the staff remember you.

The quintessential art deco hotel bar. Impeccable cocktails, live jazz and old-world glamour.

Editor’s note: Where Fleming wrote his martinis. Order a vodka martini, watch them theatre it tableside.

Ian Fleming's inspiration for the Martini-drinking habits of James Bond. Dukes Bar serves arguably the finest Martini in the world — prepared tableside with theatrical precision.

Editor’s note: Just outside Mayfair but worth the walk. Black, gold, and a list that rewards bravery.

Glamorous art deco cocktail bar with gold and black decor. One of London's great drinking destinations.

Editor’s note: Members-club levels of clubbiness without the membership. Negronis as they should be.

A discreet Mayfair classic modelled on the legendary Venice original. Harry's Bar on South Audley Street is a civilised refuge — perfect Bellinis, reliable Italian cooking and a loyal, well-heeled crowd.