Cool Cocktail Bars at Hot Hotels
Although a worthy cause, seeking out some of the coolest cocktail bars at hotels around the world is not an easy task. The competition is stiff, which actually gives libation-loving travelers a lot to cheers about! From New York to Bali, with coffee-inspired brewed cocktails and insect snacks in between, here are eleven hotel bars that we think have it all: style, unique offerings, fine spirits, standout mixologists, and (most importantly) a menu with good strong cocktails.
USA
Le Bain, The Standard, High Line, New York City
Hotels in New York City have an annual battle to be crowned the coolest rooftop bar for summer cocktails. Penthouse discothèque Le Bain is a strong contender, with a plunge pool on the dance floor and a crêperie on a “grass” covered roof. The 18th-floor hotspot has sweeping 360-degree views of Manhattan and the Hudson River. Gather your friends and order a pitcher of one of the bar’s refreshing cocktails, such as the Frozen Grapefruit Gimlet with Belvedere, Campari, grapefruit, and lemon. If you love beer and ping pong, drink up at the open air Biergarten (glass enclosed in winter), which serves traditional German sausages and pretzels. www.standardhotes.com/high-line
The Speakeasy, Maxwell Mansion, Lake Geneva, WI
Recently renovated Maxwell Mansion on Lake Geneva is nestled in what those in the know call “the Newport of the west.” The glamorous 19th century manor offers its sophisticated clientele a clandestine 1920s Speakeasy Lounge with cabaret performances and an 1880s Apothecary Bar in honor of its first owner Dr. Philip Maxwell. Guests access Speakeasy by knowing the password, which they learn through a poem sent by the hotel or a QR code. Once inside, imbibe pre-prohibition cocktails such as the Cognac Old Fashioned with Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac, Demerara syrup and Bitttercube Trinity bitters. Meanwhile, Apothecary gets style points for having bartenders that use dry ice and magnetic stirrers to mix drinks by vortex. www.maxwellmansion1856.com
Sable Kitchen & Bar, adjacent to Hotel Palomar Chicago
This award-winning Kimpton gastro-lounge in Chi-town’s River North area was named a top hotel bar by USA Today. Sable Kitchen & Bar houses one of the region’s largest selections of amber spirits and hosts weekly “Whiskey Wednesdays” offering special flights. Cocktails are infused with liqueurs, fresh juices, and housemade bitters and syrups. The 20 plus seasonal pre-prohibition cocktails include the drink-worthy Kentucky Grazer with Buffalo Trace, Pimm’s, mint, lemon juice and celery bitters. Head Bartender Mike Ryans shares, “We believe that integrity and hospitality can go hand in hand. Our cocktails are inspired by classic and contemporary cocktail structures, and draw influences from both historical and modern culinary applications.” www.sablechicago.com
Living Room, W South Beach, Miami 
- Credit: Andres Aravena
Miami continues to bring the heat with the sultry Living Room lounge’s new cocktail program at the W South Beach. Headed by renowned cocktail designer Scott Beattie, it features drinks inspired by the seasons, using herbs, essential oils, edible flowers, top-shelf spirits and locally sourced organic produce. Natural staining agents like beets, turmeric and annatto replace artificial dyes. Beattie’s approach to cocktail making is like a chef, with complex layers of flavors and visuals. Try the Cucumber Collins with Square One cucumber vodka, yuzu juice, fresh lemon and blueberry-stained cucumbers pickled in mirin, sake and rice wine vinegar. www.wsouthbeach.com
Americano Restaurant, Hotel Vitale, San Francisco
Located on the Embarcadero with outdoor seating and views of the Bay and bridges of San Francisco, Americano is a classy hotspot exemplifying Hotel Vitale’s “good life” concept that centers on giving guests a revitalizing experience. This can be seen through their cocktails, such as The Orchard, which is a blend of Tanqueray Gin, Cointreau, Kina L’Avion D’Or, lemon Juice, fresh thyme and organic apple juice. It’s served from a special soda siphon to prevent the drink batch from oxidizing. Try the Montego Bay Punch for a stronger (not sweet syrupy) version of this popular Caribbean concoction that includes Mt. Gay Black Barrel and Flor de Cana rums, fresh lemon and an Angostura nutmeg mix. www.americanorestaurant.com
Europe
Whisky Bar, The Athenaeum Hotel, London
London has its fair share of top craft cocktail bars, including the Artesian Bar at the Langham London Hotel. For the best whisky-themed bar, go to the five-star Athenauem Hotel in fashionable Mayfair. The Whisky Bar features more than 270 choices from around the world. To accompany your dram, a new menu was created with cheese pairings. Ivo, the dedicated Whisky Sommelier (one of only two in London), can prepare a personalized whisky and food pairing experience. The lounge also launched a garden-to-glass program with botanical cocktails inspired by the Living Wall that climbs up the exterior of the property. Ivo’s cocktail recommendation is “The English Gentleman: an infusion of Chapter 6 whisky with pear and our very own Regents Park Honey. Our beehives are located on the hotel’s roof.” www.athenaeumhotel.com
BAR, Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne, Switzerland
The 10-acre Beau-Rivage Palace features a two-Michelin-star restaurant, a 75,000-bottle wine cellar, and the BAR, which specializes in unique cocktails and homemade creations. It overlooks Lake Geneva and offers rare spirits such as A. E. DOR le Signe du Temps cognac (only 17 bottles in the world). Ice cubes are carved-to-serve from a block and a recipe for the customer to take home accompanies each drink. The BAR manager Jean-Yves Vottero shares, “We maintain the long heritage of traditional cocktails. However, we want to bring a special, personalised touch, and to celebrate famous people who were once guests. City Lights is dedicated to Charlie Chaplin—the Negroni is based on the traditional recipe but we do it with a homemade Vermouth.” Die-hard martini drinkers can request the martini trolley to visit them and make the slow-stirred concoction tableside. www.brp.ch/en/home.html
Asia
ROCK Bar, AYANA Resort & Spa, Bali
ROCK Bar at AYANA Resort & Spa offers 360 degrees of glamour, on the rocks. Located 45 feet above the Indian Ocean at the base of AYANA’s towering cliffs, the open-air bar is Bali’s hottest destination for drinks, sunset views and funky vibes from the DJ booth carved into the promontory’s face. Signature cocktails are served in glasses suspended over pebbles and tapas served on natural stone plates. Try the Harakiri cocktail with sake, fresh ginger, wasabi, passion fruit, lime juice and sugar. For savory bites, order the Goong Saron prawns spring roll with chili sauce and the Orient Spices Fried Chicken Wings with soy chili sauce. www.ayanaresort.com
Mandarin Bar, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, Tokyo
The Mandarin Bar at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo has stunning city views, inventive and classic cocktails, and a new program that is getting more buzz (literally) than the libations—insect snacks. Developed in cooperation with Japanese whisky brand Suntory, the bar connected with a 75-year-old woman in the Japanese Alps where Suntory’s ‘Hakushu’ is made to learn the hundreds-of-years-old recipes for traditional insect snacks. The seasonal menu will offer this fall locusts, honeybee larvae and silk worms. Hakushu whisky is an excellent pairing to counteract the subtle sweet, soy taste of the snacks. If you’re bugged out by this whisky-pairing try the Hazakura cocktail with Nikka Coffey Grain whisky, diced aloe sakura, homemade sakura bitters and mint leaves. www.mandarinoriental.com/tokyo
Distil, Lebua at State Tower, Bangkok
Lebua at State Tower is an award-winning luxury hotel in Bangkok, which houses the city’s highest bar, Distil. Its inventive mixologist, Ron Ramirez, combined his love for brewing coffee into his day job with “brewed cocktails,” a process that involves brewing spirits in a copper distiller with herbs, spices, and dehydrated fruits. It can take up to four hours, but worth it for the added flavor! Distil is the only bar in Thailand pouring top-shelf brands Absolut 100, Olmeca Tequila, Havana Club Selección de Maestros and Chivas 18. Cigar aficionados will appreciate Ramirez’s Genie in a Bottle drink while smoking on The Cigar Terrace: brewed Havana Club Selección rum with cinnamon and cloves, mixed lebua spice liqueur, house-made apple pie syrup and a touch of Cohiba cigar smoke. www.lebua.com
South America
The Bar at Selva, La Selva Amazon Eco-Lodge & Spa, Ecuador 
La Selva Eco-Lodge is located in the heart of the Amazon jungle, an ideal location for an al fresco bar offering views of the rainforest’s natural habitat. The bar is located on the third level of an architecturally-acclaimed bamboo “tree house” where telescopes and binoculars are on hand for animal watching while sipping on spirits. Try the Ecuadorian cocktail Canelazo made with aguardiente liquor, cinnamon sticks, fresh squeezed orange and sugarcane. To make this local favorite, all ingredients are boiled together; once chilled, it is served with a sprig of mint or cilantro. www.laselvajunglelodge.com
Nubia DuVall Wilson is a contributing travel writer for LuxuriousPROTOTYPE. She is a luxury travel expert and published author of Encounters with Strangers. Learn more at www.encounterswithstrangers.com. Follow her on Twitter @NubiaWilson.
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