Beaufort Bar at The Savoy

Created out of The Savoy’s refurbishment, the palatial Beaufort has a chance to rival the auspicious American Bar. Opulently tricked out in gaudy golds & jet-black, with suffused lighting & hushed tones, it almost feels like the moodily dramatic setting for a Mafia funeral. Occupying the old stage where crooners & penguin-suited big bands once serenaded the assembled company, it strikes an irresistibly theatrical pose – part tacky, part chic. Champagne cocktails such as the poseur (Louis Roederer Brut, Aperol, Cointreau, pink grapefruit juice & bitters) seem apposite amid such glitz, & it’s also worth trying the signature sugar strut & the exotically fruity, vodka-laced gilded cage. Service is irreproachable, as it should be when bubbles zoom from £16 a glass up to silly money.

Wine List Of The Year

One dedicated to champagne lovers everywhere. A really impressive collection of Louis Roederer vintages and Cristal (including rosé) plus 27 bottles of pop available by the glass (including Nyetimber and five small growers) and a tasty magnum selection. Not cheap, but not the rip-off prices you might expect. The list is beautifully (and classically) printed and laid out.