If you are looking for a single, mind-blowingly strong, heartbreakingly delicious cocktail, you’ve come to the right place. Dukes is one of London’s true classic bars, and justly famous for the theatrical presentation of martinis created and brought out on a trolley specially for you. But don’t neglect the rest of the list: the level of cocktail skill here is phenomenal. The drinks are among the most expensive in the city, but the bar snacks are fabulous. Take your drinks date through the cobbled streets of St James’s to Dukes and you won’t fail to impress.
If you're looking for some good old-fashioned glamour with your drinking, a cosy London pub might not cut it. You need to pull up a shiny stool at one of London’s best hotel bars where the service is seamless, the clientele is classy and every last drink is a showstopper. Sure, you’ll pay for the luxury, but you deserve a treat every once in a while. So here’s a list of London hotel bars where it’ll be worth making your Monzo wince.
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Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.