Best Mayfair Bars

Few drinking dens in the capital can match the effortless glamour of The Connaught Bar. Designed by the late great David Collins and inspired by 1920s Cubism, it's a shimmering shrine to cocktails and home to a world-class team of bartenders. Their ‘expressions’ menu is a showcase for creativity, featuring on-trend ingredients and drinks inspired by natural elements. We fell for a Heart of Gold (a refreshing long mix of Amaro Lucano, lichen-aromatised Noilly Prat, Ruche, rhubarb soda and oregano blossom), but the jewel in The Connaught’s crown is its sleek Martini trolley. ‘The secret of a perfect Martini is the sound,’ smiles the mixologist as he slowly stirs Tanqueray 10 over blocks of hand-cut ice, mixed with the house vermouth and a choice of seasonal bitters to create a bespoke sip for every guest. A superb selection of whiskies and decadent canapés such as black truffle and Comté fritters with truffle mayo are further reasons to add The Connaught Bar to your ‘must-visit’ list. 

With every junior royal, rich Russian and gossip-column rake on speed dial, those purveyors of Sloaney good times Charlie Gilkes and Duncan Stirling (Cahoots, Bunga Bunga, Bart’s) are high-society lynchpins worth cultivating. As avowed theme-bar aficionados, the boys play a blinder with this convincingly staged interpretation of Phileas J Fogg’s madcap Mayfair mansion, stuffed to the gunnels with camp caboodle from the eccentric Victorian explorer's derring-do foreign forays. The whole fantastical set-up is a hoot: Eton boys in dapper period livery dispense plates of top tucker with 'tipsy teas' (ie. gin or Champagne cocktails in teapots), while Passepartout (Fogg's imagined French valet) preps hooch-charged puncheons, crustas, cups and long-lost recipes with colonial roots. Other wheezes include a summer garden veranda, guest bartenders, vaudeville turns and talks from adventurers such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes. As we say, these chaps are connected.

An exercise in art-deco opulence, The Rivoli Bar's elaborate jewel-box interior will make minimalists break out in hives with its gilded ceiling domes, tone-on-tone marble, camphor wood walls, swirly chandeliers, Lalique glass and leopard-print stools. A byword for luxury, the Ritz's aristocratic charms come at a correspondingly kingly cost: you’ll need to shell out handsomely for a shot of Churchill’s Courage (a Manhattan involving butter-washed bourbon, maple syrup and white port), an Iron Lady (a Champagne cocktail with Bombay Sapphire gin, quinine bark and lime) or the Modern Traveller (Plymouth Gin, spiced water, fig liqueur, Cassis and lemon juice served in a glass pipe). Oligarchs and the landed gentry can swan it with big-ticket bubbles, beluga caviar and luxe seafood platters, while the lower orders get small change from £100 for a bottle of house white Burgundy and a burger.

On the first floor of swish modern British restaurant Hush, The Aviator is its newly rebranded 1960s-style cocktail bar. The design – all jewel-tone leathers and velvet plush – comes courtesy of Russell Sage (not perhaps on his finest form), resulting in a look resembling an airport Executive Club lounge from the Pan Am era. ‘Destination’ cocktails are themed by country and detailed on mocked-up boarding cards; many are delivered with a theatrical flourish. Smoking Señorita (Spain) – a suave take on a Manhattan, featuring Nomad Outland whisky and oloroso and cream sherry – arrives in a cloud of smoke, from under a cloche. Rihannatini (Bahamas) – a mix of rum, Frangelico, coffee and Kahlúa – comes with mascarpone mousse and a mini chocolate pot. Service is certainly business class, as are some of the small-plate dishes (we recommend the scallops on cauliflower purée), but other bar snacks are more charter flight (chewy wraps containing dry duck meat) – at non-budget prices.

All streamlined, spice-toned leathery luxe, the mezzanine at Wolfgang Puck’s steakhouse is more filet mignon than beef skirt – as are its prices. Prepare to say ‘sayonara’ to close on £20 for a forbidden kiss (think liquidised Turkish delight and gin) or peace on earth – the sort of coconut rum punch you’d normally serve at your Bequia villa. Presentation is suitably recherché and unflappable staff have that five-star knack of anticipating precisely when to materialise before discreetly melting away again. Wines include a top-dollar selection of American labels, while snacks are listed as ‘rough’ cuts – although that means film-première goodies including tuna tartare cones (£21), crab and lobster rolls, mini Wagyu sliders and suchlike. Ultimately, Bar 45 feels like a set for an ad campaign for Hermès, the sort of label that passes as everyday mufti to its gilded clientele.

Libare is as sharp as a Savile Row suit. It’s the rebooted destination bar of Sartoria (following a major refurbishment by D&D London) and strikes a 20th-century Milanese-chic pose. Park yourself on copper leather high stools at the marble-topped bar where signori, sharp in Chartreuse velvet tuxedos, dispense aperitivo-hour spritzes, seasonal Bellinis, twisted Negronis, and liqueurs created by chef-patron Francesco Mazzei. New room, new ideas: we like fennel-infused gin Martini; a Mediterranean Mojito that adds basil and cherry tomato to the classic formula, and a deviant Smoked Bloody Mary that prefers Lagavulin 16 whisky and Don Julio Blanco Tequila to vodka – all good at £12. Order one of over a dozen by-the-glass wines from £5 with sliced Italian hams and salumi. Bar food also includes minestrone, veal in tuna sauce, anchovy and panzanella salad, plus ices and pastries. ‘Libare’ translates as ‘to sip’: a pleasurable pastime in such elegant surroundings.

Smooth and dependable with a tasteful and nicely upholstered interior, the Donovan Bar is quietly stylish – if not the most exciting ride in town. However, at £15 per cocktail, this self-appointed ‘legendary drinking establishment' is possibly not for your average runaround tippler. Fans of sidecar and classics of similar vintage will find them among a list of contemporary ideas such as the rock (Glenmorangie 18-year-old whisky, fresh pineapple, black pepper and lemon juice spritzed with smoky Scotch), while gin lovers might fancy a Sipsmith and Aperol old fashioned, sipped to the sounds of live jazz most evenings. There's also a good range of grape and grain to go with proper English snacks – think devils on horseback, fishfingers with mushy peas and chips, Portland crab on toast or pork crackling with Bramley apple sauce

There’s nothing finer than a glass of fizz at Claridge’s Bar, which is surely one of the best spots in the capital for raising a toast to special occasions. Elegant and stylish, with sparkling service to boot, this deliciously buzzy Mayfair stalwart exudes class. The drinks list is a thing of joy – especially for Champagne aficionados who can browse through its who’s who of producers, from grand marques such as Veuve Clicquot to smaller names like Bruno Paillard and Jacques Selosse, not to mention a stellar line-up of older vintages at eye-watering prices. If Champagne cocktails are your thing, don’t miss The Flapper – a perennial favourite at Claridge’s Bar made with fresh strawberries and crème de cassis. For more creative cocktails retreat to The Fumoir, a darkly seductive, Lalique-panelled, jewel-box of a bar, that drips with Hollywood glamour – perfect for an intimate tête-à-tête over knock-out mixes such as the Maguey, a smoky concoction made with mezcal, Ardbeg whisky, absinthe and raspberries.

Take your pick of three highly individual, amusingly designed lounges at this Mayfair must-do from Mourad Mazouz (of Momo fame). With its theatrical rococo découpage forest backdrop, The Glade could be a set for South Pacific as choreographed by the Bolshoi Ballet, while The East Bar (a futuristic cocoon) might have been lifted from a Kubrick sci-fi movie. However, we find ourselves repeatedly drawn to The Parlour, a raffishly postmodernist drawing room that wouldn’t look out of place in ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon's LA punk château. Disport and pose while you scrutinise a cast of eccentrics and fashionistas as you knock back dependably good drinks from a constantly evolving list. House wines and sips such as Nolet and the Whale (vodka, Aperol, peach and almond syrup) won't break the bank, although the same can’t be said of the patrician French fizz and pukka comfort food.

The Athenaeum’s former Whisky Room has been reimagined as an all-day brasserie, part of a snazzy redesign of the family-run luxury hotel. The library of vintage malts has been decanted to this brand new bar with its entrance on Down Street. The mustard and liquorice-tone lounge is a smoky 1950s-style looker, framed by a lush jungle foliage garden wall. It’s run in tandem with renowned restaurateurs, Chris and Jeff Galvin, with Giancarlo Mancino (he of the eponymous vermouth range) as cocktail supremo. Stirs, such as a clay pot-aged Negroni, often rely on craft spirits. A Brooklyn prepared Mancino-style is a rewarding version of the Manhattan’s lesser-known sister. We won’t spoil the surprise, but those of a theatrical bent should bag the house signature – in a bag. Bar ‘snacks’ include ‘hot dog deluxe’ and good yellowfin tuna burger with slaw: generous enough for two to share at this useful new bar.