The Imbibe Hotel Bar Awards 2009: Round III - best international hotel bar

In the last issue of Imbibe, we announced the winners of the Classic Hotel Bar category. Since then, our mystery imbibers have been scouring the country for winners in the third heat of our nationwide competition in association with pioneering super-premium gin Zephyr. So, without further ado, the winners in the Best International Hotel Bar 2009 category are…

BEST INTERNATIONAL HOTEL BAR 2009

WINNER

THE BAR AT THE DORCHESTER, LONDON

Park Lane, London, W1K 1QA. 020 7629 8888; www.thedorchester.com

Bar manager: Giuliano Morandin

A truly great international hotel bar must be many things: a place that’s sophisticated and discreet enough for doing business, but also welcoming enough to offer travellers a home from home. It must be open for a lunchtime beer, but also rise to the occasion for visitors in search of a glamorous celebration. It must be stylish and innovative, but also capture something about the tradition and spirit of its country. The Bar at The Dorchester manages all of the above with style. Already a runner-up in the Classic Hotel Bar category, it clinched the International title by wowing a second panel of judges with unwaveringly good service regardless of the time of day, guest or request – a glass of tap water was served with as much class and care as a Ramos Gin Fizz (complete with playful horn-shaped glass in a delicate holder). Beautiful glassware, delicious complimentary bar snacks and an imaginative but succinct cocktail list (as well as an excellent champagne list) – including historical notes and fun details such as the bespoke bitters for customising your drink – all showed real attention to detail. The superb list of gins was also a fitting celebration of the city that created London Dry, making The Bar at the Dorchester an essential cocktail destination for visitors and locals alike.

RUNNERS UP

GALVIN AT WINDOWS, THE HILTON PARK LANE, LONDON

22 Park Lane, London, W1K 1BE. 020 7493 8000; www.hilton.co.uk

Bar manager: Lino Marchese

If an international bar is meant to show off a city’s assets, then Galvin at Windows, which boasts sweeping view over London from the 28th floor of the Hilton Park Lane, is indeed a winner. Clad in a mix of leather, mirrors and marble in shades of mint green, black and cream, it’s got a sleek contemporary feel about it that would be sure to attract well-heeled overseas visitors. The cocktail list is on the fruity side – clearly aimed at the ladies – but our champagne-topped Negroni was superb, and those with more ‘masculine’ tastes will enjoy the extensive list of whiskies and brandies (including calvados, we were pleased to see). Highly knowledgeable, professional staff and a front row seat on the sunset make this an ideal bar for entertaining a client or impressing a hot date.

LIBRARY BAR AT THE LANESBOROUGH, LONDON

Hyde Park Corner, London, SW1X 7TA. 020 7259 5599; www.lanesborough.com

Bar manager: Giuseppe Ruo

Kitted out in the style of a luxurious gentleman’s club, the Library is strictly about old-school comforts. Wing-backed chairs, huge vases of English flowers, a live pianist and a roaring fire (even in May!) left us in no doubt what part of the world we were drinking in. Having said that, the cocktail list was surprisingly eclectic with exotic offerings such as our scented Rose Martini made with lychee juice, vodka, rose liqueur and lime, garnished with a beautiful Chinese gooseberry – although the clientele looked like they’d be more inclined towards the outstanding selection of brandies, possibly accompanied by a cigar on the terrace. The prices are dizzying, but given its location – right on the corner of Hyde Park – this comes as no surprise, and we must confess the warm canapés handed round at cocktail hour did much to ease the pain…

PURPLE BAR, SANDERSON HOTEL, LONDON

50 Berners Street, London, W1T 3NG. 020 7300 1496; www.sandersonlondon.com

Bar manager: Roland Csombor

A rather unfriendly door policy got us off to a bit of a bad start with the Purple Bar – but once inside all gripes were forgotten in the twinkling half-light of this bijou little bar. Shrouded in silk, velvet and plenty of darkness (possibly a little too much!), this is definitely a place for romantic trysts rather than business meetings, offering all the escapist thrill we’ve come to expect from Philippe Starck. Vodka is the speciality here and we were particularly taken with the Martini menu – our Raspberry and Rhubarb ‘Martini’ was outstanding and presented in beautiful glassware. Staff were highly knowledgeable about their stock, attentive and made excellent suggestions, demonstrating a personal touch that’s rare in international hotels. A welcome respite from the corporate ‘sameyness’ of so many other hotels on the international circuit.

MONOBODDO, MERCURE POINT HOTEL, EDINBURGH

34 Bread Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9AF. 0131 2215555; www.mercure.com

Bar manager: Martin Duffyr

It may not be as flash (or as expensive) as our other finalists, but the Monoboddo bar at the 3-star Mercure Point Hotel is a great example of an international hotel bar that’s bang-on for its target market. Situated in the heart of Edinburgh, it offers fantastic views of the castle through huge plate glass windows, and a friendly, relaxed vibe that would make it as appealing to locals as overseas guests. We’re divided about the menu-as-plastic-placemat, but the content is great, with a good mix of classics (annotated with trade-up options) and house creations – we particularly enjoyed a Bison Grass vodka with champagne. Other innovations include fun pairings such as whisky with cheese and oatcakes, which, after all, is what Scotland does best.