A gathering place for travelers and locals alike, a good hotel bar offers a quiet reprieve in what is typically a rather luxurious environment for patrons to relax after a long day. And while some hotel bars might simply offer just that, others, like those on properties that have been around for a while, might offer a bit of history too.
Some of these hotel bars have continuously pushed the envelope of cocktail creation, whether by creating now world-famous cocktails or perfecting jaw-dropping techniques. Others, while still offering great drinks, are perhaps better known for their high-profile clientele and pop culture cache.
From bars that have undeniably shaped cocktail culture to those that have served as the backdrop for monumental films and television shows, here are nine of the world’s most iconic hotel bars.
American Bar, The Savoy
London, United Kingdom
Take a step into the American Bar at The Savoy Hotel and you’ll be stepping into the longest surviving cocktail bar in London. Renowned for its influence on cocktail culture, the American Bar first opened in 1893 and has employed some of the most famous bartenders of all time, including Ada Coleman and Harry Craddock, who went on to pen “The Savoy Cocktail Book” in 1930, one of the most influential texts in the drinks world.
While the bar’s name might suggest U.S. influence, “American” simply refers to the American-style drinks on offer, which, at that time, simply meant cocktails. Of those, the most popular by far is the Dry Martini, which is said to have been perfected and popularized by Craddock while working at The Savoy. The drink’s feature in “The Savoy” and its presence on menu at the American Bar catapulted the Martini to fame, and it’s practically been on a non-stop tear ever since.
The Bamboo Bar, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand
When The Bamboo Bar opened in 1953, it was the very first jazz club to open its doors in Bangkok. Today, the club remains a must-visit for jazz enthusiasts the world over, who go to the bar specifically to enjoy the bar’s nightly live music. In addition to offering world-class entertainment, the bar also has a top-notch beverage program that includes a selection of “Top Shelf Cocktails” made with super premium spirits.
The atmosphere inside The Bamboo Bar delivers on its name. The bar itself, along with the chairs, walls, and ceiling furnishings are all constructed, in part, from bamboo, which grows in abundance throughout Southeast Asia. In addition to the plants, portraits of former patrons also adorn the walls, including Audrey Hepburn, Louis Armstrong, and Mick Jagger. Recently, The Bamboo Bar received quite a bit of extra attention after it served as the setting for a rather memorable monologue delivered by Sam Rockwell in season three of “The White Lotus.”
Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris Hotel
Paris, France
Established in 1898, the Ritz Paris is in a league of its own when it comes to luxury. In no way associated with the Ritz-Carlton hotel group — the Ritz Paris is privately owned — the building, and the bars inside it, breathe an air of luxury that has attracted fashion designers, actors, politicians, and royalty for over a century. It’s what made the property such an attractive target for the Nazis during the German occupation of France. From 1940 to 1944, the Ritz was used as a Nazi headquarters for the Luftwaffe, with Hermann Göring residing in the Imperial Suite. Though the hotel was almost entirely sequestered by the German forces, some French citizens were permitted to continue living on the property, the most famous of which was Coco Chanel.
Tucked away in a shadowy corner of the hotel is Bar Hemingway, which got its name from a miraculous event in 1944 that may have never actually happened. During World War II, Ernest Hemingway was working as a war correspondent and famously set out to “liberate” the hotel bar — then known as Le Petit Bar — from the Germans. Only, when he arrived at the hotel, it wasn’t Nazis he found, it was British soldiers instead. The Germans, they told Hemingway, had already retreated. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the writer from bellying up to the bar, ordering 51 Martinis to celebrate, and continuing on with the story that he freed the bar. Following renovations in the ‘80s, the tiny bar reopened with the name Bar Hemingway in an homage to its literary “liberator.”
Bemelmans Bar, The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
NYC, United States
When visiting Bemelmans Bar, it’s hard to forget that you’re drinking in one of New York City’s most famous cocktail lounges. The atmosphere screams New York elegance, with all four walls of the piano bar decorated with murals depicting Central Park in all four seasons. Each of the murals was painted by Ludwig Bemelmans, the creator of the famous “Madeline” children’s series and the bar’s namesake. In exchange for his labor, Bemelmans and his family moved into the luxurious Carlyle hotel for the year and a half it took to complete.
The Upper East Side bar is a beacon for celebrities and politicians, the likes of which have included Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy, and also Liza Minnelli and Miley Cyrus, who recently put on a surprise show at the jazz bar. Even if Minnelli isn’t at the microphone crooning, you’re likely to enjoy some jazz at Bemelmans on any given night. Be sure to order Madeline’s Vesper while you’re there — the combination of Bombay Sapphire Gin, Grey Goose Vodka, and Cocchi Americano comes with a sidecar and a selection of bar snacks, and pairs perfectly with the live music.
The Carousel Bar & Lounge, Hotel Monteleone
New Orleans, United States
Revolving restaurants may have hit the mainstream in the 1960s and ‘70s, but by that point, the bar at the Hotel Monteleone had been spinning for over a decade. Prior to 1949, the hotel bar was known as the Swan Room, but a huge renovation saw its name changed for good. That year, a 25-seat rotating bar was installed and the space was renamed the Carousel Bar & Lounge. To this day, Carousel Bar remains the first and only rotating bar in New Orleans. The bar itself, as the name suggests, is decorated like a merry-go-round, with 25 coveted stools serving as “horses.” As they drink, guests slowly rotate around their bartenders, with each revolution taking approximately 15 minutes.
Located in the city’s French Quarter — which has long been a haven for writers and other creatives — Carousel Bar was a hotspot for some of the world’s most famous authors, including William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and Truman Capote. The “In Cold Blood” author was even famous for falsely telling the media that he was born in one of the rooms at the Hotel Monteleone. While soaking in the literary history and circling the bar, don’t forget to order a Vieux Carré. The classic New Orleans cocktail was created at the hotel bar in 1938 and remains one of its most popular serves to this day.
The Connaught Bar, The Connaught
London, United Kingdom
First opened in 2008, The Connaught Bar at The Connaught in London is more than just a bar — it’s a cornerstone of the hospitality industry. If you’ve ever sat down at a bar and watched in awe as a bartender stretches their shaker further away from a cocktail glass while pouring, you can thank the team at The Connaught Bar for the theatrics. This style of elongated high pour, now famous around the world, was created (or at the very least popularized by) the bar’s staff, leading to its current names: the Connaught Style or the Connaught Pour.
The eye-grabbing high pour originated during the bar’s signature Martini service, which is done tableside so guests can have a front row seat for the action. After the shiny black cart arrives, guests choose one of five bitters options, each of which is dropped into a fresh Martini glass for patrons to examine before they make their decision. Once the bitters are chosen, the Martini is prepped separately with vermouth and the guests’s choice of gin or vodka before it’s stirred and poured. As The Connaught Bar’s director of mixology Agostino Perrone told VinePair, the technique was simply a natural evolution of this flashy Martini service.
Before any staff members can do the Connaught Pour on the bar’s floor, they must be properly trained so it can be executed flawlessly in front of guests. So while you might be able to see the high pour at bars around the world, a trip to London’s Mayfair neighborhood is worth it to see it completed at the eponymous bar.
DUKES Bar at DUKES London
London, United Kingdom
First opened in 1908, the DUKES Bar on the ground floor of London’s DUKES hotel is famous for its impact on cocktail culture and literature alike. As the preferred watering hole for “James Bond” author Ian Fleming, the DUKES Bar is often cited as influencing the author’s decision to portray 007 as an avid Martini lover. It’s also allegedly the place where the iconic line “shaken, not stirred” was delivered for the first time — years before it was ever repeated on the big screen.
The most famous cocktail on offer is easily the Dukes Martini, which is served with the guest’s choice of gin or vodka poured from a massive frozen bottle. It’s so well-known that when the Lobby Bar at The Hotel Chelsea opened in 2022, the DUKES Martini was listed front and center under the “Tributes” section. The Martini, served with a vermouth sidecar, lemon peel, and three olives, is known for both its flair and its booze, hence its strictly-enforced two drink maximum. Despite the fact that the hotel is currently closed due to an ongoing refurbishment project, the DUKES Bar remains open for those hankering for a massive five ounce Martini.
The King Cole Bar, The St. Regis New York
NYC, United States
On the corner of 55th Street and 5th Avenue is The St. Regis. Inside the hotel you’ll find King Cole Bar, one of the most lavish bars in Midtown Manhattan. Opened in 1932, the bar gets its name from the 25-foot mural of King Cole painted by Maxfield Parrish that sits behind the bar. While famous for its celebrity patronage — which has included John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, and Salvador Dalí — the hotel bar is arguably best known for creating the Bloody Mary.
As the story goes, the Bloody Mary was initially created by Fernand Petiot at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the early 1920s. In 1925, Petiot immigrated to the United States, bringing his creation along with him. When King Cole Bar opened in 1932, Petiot joined the team, later becoming head bartender in 1934. As head bartender, he made the decision to add his savory cocktail to the menu, though deemed “Bloody Mary” too inappropriate a name for the wealthy clientele at the hotel. So the drink was dubbed the Red Snapper instead, and from there, it took on a life of its own. The bar still serves the Red Snapper to this day, which is made with Stoli vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, and a blend of spices. If you’re hankering for a different variation of the classic, there are four other Bloody Mary riffs on offer, in addition to a dozen specialty cocktails.
Long Bar, Raffles Singapore
Singapore
Nicknamed the Grande Dame of Singapore, the Raffles Hotel is one of the most lavish properties in all of Singapore. First opened in 1887, the luxury hotel was frequented by many European diplomats and writers throughout British colonial rule, including Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin, and Joseph Conrad. On the property is the legendary Long Bar, a preferred drinking spot for many of these individuals and the alleged birthplace of the Singapore Sling, which is said to have been created by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon in 1915. While the cocktail famously varies from place to place, the Long Bar still makes its “original” Singapore Sling with gin, Bénédictine, cherry liqueur, curaçao, grenadine, pineapple and lime juices, and bitters. To this day, Long Bar remains a popular tourist destination for travelers looking to try Singapore’s national drink at the very first bar it was allegedly served at.
The New York Bar at the Park Hyatt Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan
While famous for its knock-out cocktails and stellar view, The New York Bar at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo might be best known for its role in Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation.” In the film, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson play Bob Harris and Charlotte, who meet for the first time at the hotel’s penthouse bar while traveling in Tokyo. Since the film’s debut in 2003, countless patrons have visited the bar (including Anthony Bourdain in an episode of “Parts Unknown”), specifically because of its cameo.
The Park Hyatt and The New York Bar are temporarily closed due to ongoing renovations, though both are expected to reopen in October 2025.
*Image retrieved from Iacob via stock.adobe.com
