The Best Cocktail Bars In Mayfair

Whether you’re after fishbowls of tropical cocktails or martinis tailored to your exact specifications, let Mayfair’s skilled bartenders shake, stir and garnish their way into your heart as you sip expertly crafted drinks in lavish settings.

1. Connaught Bar

Bar, Contemporary

The cocktails served at Connaught Bar are among the best in the world. The bartenders are constantly inventing new combinations of ingredients, with the bar’s flawless collection of vintage spirits and limited-edition wines and champagnes ensuring the cocktails are second to none. If you like martinis, Connaught is the place to order one. There’s a special trolley reserved for this exact purpose, which will swiftly arrive at your table to mix a drink before your eyes.

2. CircusXO

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Contemporary

The drinks here aren’t the chicly stirred martinis you find at other Mayfair bars. They’re loud, brash and altogether delicious. You could find yourself supping from a fishbowl the size of your face, but the contents will be a million miles away from the sugary punch-bowl concoctions of your youth. Expertly designed cocktails are served in takeaway containers, plastic bags and a ceramic human heart. The neon-lit bar is located below StreetXO, known for its cutting-edge fusion food, and CircusXO’s self-titled ‘liquid cuisine’ helps further that reputation.

3. Mr Fogg’s Residence

Bar, Cocktail Bar, British, Tea

This Burton Lane bar is famed for its Tipsy Tea menu, where English classics get a boozy twist. Try a ‘Ladies That Lapsang’ (lapsang souchong-infused vermouth, gin, Drambuie liqueur, vanilla syrup and lemon juice) or a ‘Tea Leaf You Wanting More’ (earl grey-infused gin, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice), two of the house specialities. Or, better yet, opt for the bottomless option: two hours of unlimited teapots filled with Mr Fogg’s unique tea-themed libations.

5. Mahiki

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Contemporary

The drinks at this famous club are Polynesian themed, and if you’re a fan of rum there’s no better place to go. Try their signature cocktail, named after the bar, which mixes Pampero Especial rum, vanilla, pear and strawberry puree, lemon, sugar and crème de fraise, or opt for a classic Dark ‘n’ Stormy. If you want to go all out (you are at an exclusive nightclub, after all), go for the Wicked Wench or the Mahiki Treasure Chest, which are served up in a giant gold clam and a pirate’s treasure chest, respectively.

6. Hush

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, British, French

The bar at this 1930s-style restaurant won the Best Bar Award at the 2017 London Club & Bar Awards, so you know it’s a reliable place to head to. Hush harks back to the golden days of aviation, and the bartenders will help you to travel the world without ever leaving your bar stool. With an extensive collection of spirits, you’ll be able to drink whatever your mind can dream up. There’s also an attractive courtyard to enjoy if the weather is warm.

7. Hawksmoor Air Street

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, British, Steakhouse, Seafood

Hawksmoor may be renowned as one of the best places to get a steak in London, but this branch knocks up a great cocktail, too. The restaurant’s wood-panelled bar is a great place to hang out for a few drinks, with a bar staff that really know their stuff. Their four-part cocktail menu, with sections including “Anti-Fogmatics” and “Bridging Drinks”, offers a delightful, surprising mix of libations, from the Full-Fat Old Fashioned to the Rise & Brine.

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