Dukes
Famed for its strong, icy-cold, and theatrically presented martinis, this timeless bar at Dukes Hotel is said to have inspired Ian Fleming to pen the most famous James Bond line of all time: “shaken, not stirred.” (The Fleming 89 is named in honor of the author.) While all the cocktails are expertly made, those legendary martinis—made with a wide variety of gins or vodkas and house-made vermouth—are what you come for. Settle in to the plush, quiet surroundings and let bar manager Alessandro Palazzi choose the perfect combination for you.
More Bars in London
American Bar at the Savoy
No visit to London is complete without a drink at the Savoy's American Bar, one of the city’s oldest cocktail bars and the birthplace of many a classic drink.
69 Colebrooke Row
Also known as the Bar with No Name, 69 Colebrooke Row is part alchemist's laboratory and part bar.
Artesian at the Langham
The Langham hotel’s opulent bar has been voted “World’s Best Bar” four times running, and it’s not hard to see why.
Nightjar
Speakeasy-style bars with menu glossaries, experimental ingredients, and secret doors are everywhere, but Nightjar is the real deal.
The Connaught Bar
Housed inside the luxury Mayfair village hotel of the same name, the Connaught Bar took home the “World’s Best Bar” award at 2016’s Tales of the Cocktail festival.
Les Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Like its Paris and New York City counterparts, this wine bar offers a wide array of niche and hard-to-find wines available by both the glass and bottle.
Craft Beer Co.
Since the opening of their first pub in July 2011, Craft Beer Co. has expanded to become a mini-empire of seven locations around London.
Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar
This dark and intimate bar in the basement of steak restaurant Hawksmoor is home to some of London’s best bartenders and their inventive creations.
Purl
This sprawling, basement-level bar does intriguing, complex, “multi-sensory” drinks.