Great cocktail bars I’ve visited

Since I’ve been reading Embury Cocktails I find myself wondering what are the truly great cocktail bars I’ve visited. Let me think…

New York was full of amazing bars. Merc Bar made [link2post id=”1554″]margaritas second only to mine[/link2post]; indeed the cocktail list was full of expertly prepared beverages of heroism. On my first night in New York I got so drunk there I found myself being unable to see. It didn’t worry me at the time, but I am fortunate in being alive after crossing two busy roads to get back to the hotel. The atmosphere in the bar is most relaxing, and puts one in a fine state to get newscasted.

Second up comes Bemelman’s Bar in the Carlyle hotel also in NYC, scoring top points in both the mind-bending cocktails and amusing drinking environment stakes. The childish frieze around the walls is just hilarious. Some of the cocktails on the list can sound a tad unconventional, but I found them all to be up the the mark in term of booze content.

My third favourite bar appears to have shut down: the Vanderbilt Apartments in Grand Central Station. I went there dressed like this:

[image image_id=”2438″]

I felt sex-tastic. The bar was a fantastic room, filled with people almost as well-dressed as me, all drinking heavily. Hooray! Of course, as I had already pulled I could flirt with anyone with complete safety.

Another wonderful venue which no longer exists, at least in the same way, is the cocktail bar at Dukes Hotel in London. I’ve ranted about how it has been ruined [link2post id=”1159″]here. This was one of the best places to go to get quaquaversal very quickly and make friends with random people.

My final in this top five listing is the cocktail bar at [link2post id=”916″]Number One Aldwych. The service can be a tad slow, but their cocktail list has an embarrassment of drinkie treats.

Bubbling under are: the 1920s-inspired cocktail list at [link2post id=”809″]Hawksmoor, the epic cocktail list at the Mandarin Oriental, the library bar at the Lanesborough and Harvey Nichols all here in Town.

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