Immortalized by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in the film Lost in Translation, the New York Bar at Park Hyatt Tokyo has sweeping floor-to-ceiling glass views of Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku from the 52nd floor, as well as live jazz every night. Best enjoyed with a tumbler of Hibiki single-malt—or one of the other 60-plus whiskeys on offer. tokyo.park.hyatt.com
This story originally appeared on foodandwine.com.
From the New York birthplace of the Bloody Mary to Ernest Hemingway’s favorite Paris watering hole, here are 12 of the most legendary hotel bars in the world.
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The American Bar, The Savoy
Open since the 19th century in one of London's most iconic hotels, The American Bar at The Savoy has long been synonymous with craft cocktails. Legendary bartender Ada Coleman invented the Hanky Panky, while Harry Craddock's The Savoy Bartender Book is still considered the gold standard. Today, head bartender Eric Lorincz is considered one of the world's best—and has the awards to prove it. fairmont.com/savoy-london
Bemelman's Bar, The Carlyle
Night after night since 1947, New York society crams into the Carlyle Hotel's cozy Bemelman's Bar for cocktails, live music and a festive post-war New Year's Eve atmosphere. The waiters wear red tuxedo jackets, the drinks are stiff and the walls display whimsical cartoon murals by Ludwig Bemelman, the creator of the classic Madeline children's books. rosewoodhotels.com/en/the-carlyle-new-york
Long Bar, Raffles Singapore
Home to the Singapore Sling, created in 1915 by bar captain Ngiam Tong Boon as a Gin Sling, the two-story Long Bar at Raffles Singapore is suffused with Colonial-era touches. Writers such as Rudyard Kipling, W. Somerset Maugham, and Ernest Hemingway frequented the spot, while the hotel itself was declared a National Monument by the Singapore government in 1987, on its 100thanniversary. Fun fact: The Long Bar serves 2,000 Singapore Slings per day. raffles.com/singapore/dining/long-bar
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New York Bar, Park Hyatt Tokyo
Immortalized by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in the film Lost in Translation, the New York Bar at Park Hyatt Tokyo has sweeping floor-to-ceiling glass views of Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku from the 52nd floor, as well as live jazz every night. Best enjoyed with a tumbler of Hibiki single-malt—or one of the other 60-plus whiskeys on offer. tokyo.park.hyatt.com
King Cole Bar, St. Regis
The birthplace of the Bloody Mary—created here in 1934 as the Red Snapper—the King Cole Bar at New York's St. Regis Hotel offers myriad versions of the classic cocktail underneath its famous Maxfield Parrish mural. Its most exclusive seat is Table 55, which can be reserved for $2500 and comes complete with a special menu that includes lobster, caviar and wagyu beef paired with back-vintage Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux. stregisnewyork.com
Riot House Bar, Andaz West Hollywood
Rock legends from Led Zeppelin to The Doors to the Rolling Stones have gotten a head-start on their hangovers at the Andaz West Hollywood's Riot House Bar. Located on LA's iconic Sunset Strip and named after the property's nickname from the ‘60's and ‘70's, the bar offers cocktails named after the rock stars who've drank there, like Mr. Plant, in honor of Robert Plant, and Aloe from the Other Side (a nod to Adele). westhollywood.andaz.hyatt.com
Chateau Marmont, West Hollywood
Tinseltown's most insidery hotel is an enduring Hollywood favorite. With wine on the outdoor Spanish-style patio, drinks in the cozy living room by the piano and cocktails next door at Bar Marmont, there's no shortage of watering holes at the Chateau. The opening of a tiny hidden bar has further cemented its place as the see-and-be-seen spot in Los Angeles. chateaumarmont.com
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Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone
Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, William Faulker, and Truman Capote have all drank at this 25-seat revolving bar in New Orleans's Hotel Monteleone, where the Vieux Carré cocktail was invented. Hemingway and Williams also immortalized the bar in their writings. hotelmonteleone.com/entertainment/carousel-bar
Bar Hemingway, The Ritz Paris
Just reopened after the Ritz Paris's four-year, $400 million renovation, Bar Hemingway has been associated with Papa ever since his famous "liberation" of the hotel bar from Nazis in 1944. Hem's favorite watering hole was also popular with F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and fabled head bartender Colin Field remains one of the world's best (he invented the Serendipity cocktail here). ritzparis.com
Coq d'Or, The Drake Chicago
The second of Chicago's bars to obtain a liquor license after Prohibition, The Drake Hotel's Coq d'Or opened on December 6, 1933. Drinkers at the wood-paneled bar—ordering its famous drinks such as the Executive Martini or the Bookbinder Soup—have included Winston Churchill, Emperor Hirohito, Queen Elizabeth II and Eleanor Roosevelt. While at the hotel, stop at the Drake's other bar, the low-key Cape Cod, where young marrieds Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio carved their initials on the bar. thedrakehotel.com
Caribar, Caribe Hilton, Puerto Rico
The birthplace of the piña colada in 1954, this bar in San Juan's Caribe Hilton was frequented (as the Beachcomber Bar) by old Hollywood icons like John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. Joan Crawford reportedly proclaimed their piña colada "better than slapping Bette Davis in the face." caribehilton.com
Peacock Alley, Waldorf Astoria, NYC
The site of the Rob Roy cocktail's creation in 1894, Peacock Alley at the Waldorf Astoria offers luxury-loving patrons a bite of old New York in the hotel's lobby. In the 1930s, Cole Porter lived in the hotel, where he'd play his classic tunes on a piano called High Society. On offer today are well-made cocktails and one of the city’s best brunches. waldorfnewyork.com
