12 London Cocktail Bars That Will Make You Feel Posh AF

You ain't got class like this. These are famous cocktail bars in London. Take a trip to London and put these bars on your map.

Courtesy of sketch

1. Lobby Bar at The London EDITION — SoHo

Nikolas Koenig / Courtesy of The London EDITION

This cocktail bar feels like the bar Bruce Wayne would build if he decided to leave crime fighting to found a luxury fashion label. It has classic touches like leather sofas, velvet chars, and period moulding juxtaposed with surreal modern elements such as that giant silver orb. Also because it's a hotel lobby, you can enjoy some great people-watching with your (extremely delicious) cocktail.

2. sketch — Mayfair

Courtesy of sketch

The cool thing about sketch is that it's really four distinct bars in four interconnected spaces. Each room has a radically different design scheme, so if you get bored easily you can always just pop over to the next room. The pink tea room is your Instagram's new best friend. But the pod bathrooms (each pod is a different toilet room) are DEFINITELY something you must experience. You will feel like you've been abducted by aliens, but in a good way.

3. The Ivy — Covent Garden

Paul Winch-furness / Courtesy of The Ivy

The Ivy has been in business since 1917. This bar has timeless appeal thanks to harlequin stained-glass windows and oak paneling. Cocktail bars tend to be tucked away somewhere dark and quiet, but the Ivy is perhaps best enjoyed during the day with light streaming in through the stained glass. Classic cocktails taste better at this classic bar where the execution is as crisp as the decor.

4. Seymour's Parlour — Marylebone

Darren Chung / Courtesy of Seymour's Parlour, Andreas Von Einsiedel / Courtesy of Seymour's Parlour, Addie Chinn / Courtesy of Seymour's Parlour

When you enter Seymour's Parlour, you are transported to the manor of your eccentric great uncle who's written to inform you that you are the inheritor of a great fortune. The atmosphere is electric and subtly mysterious, like the drawing room of a well-traveled antiquary. The drinks here are excellent and quite affordable. As such, it's the perfect location for an intimate drink (or four).

5. Beaufort Bar at the Savoy Hotel — Northbank

Courtesy of the Beaufort Bar at the Savoy Hotel, Lewis Wilkinson / Courtesy of the Beaufort Bar at the Savoy Hotel

If Sinatra were alive today he would be knocking back a gin martini in this club. The black and gold art deco interior of the Beaufort Bar can only be described as glamorous. This bar was formerly a cabaret stage, and that history is alive today with nightly performances, cabaret, and burlesque. While the cocktails are fantastic, the cocktail menu might actually steal the show. The Sinatra reference is not without reason — when visiting London he always stayed at this hotel.

6. Sexy Fish — Mayfair

Paul Winch-furness / Courtesy of Sexy Fish

Whiskey lovers should make a point to visit this extravagant Japanese restaurant and bar. You will find one of the world's largest collection of Japanese whiskies nestled inside the cutting-edge and aquatic-themed interior. The bar features sculptures by Frank Gehry and Damien Hirst, and the private Coral Reef Room houses two of the largest live coral reef tanks in the world. They also have a resident DJ. Why not? Eat something if you can — the sushi and fish is supposed to be amazing.

7. Dandelyan at Mondrian London — South Bank

Courtesy of Dandelyan at Mondrian London

This cocktail bar is a pink perch high above the Thames. Inside you'll find a surreal mid-century decor — designed by Tom Dixon — with artful chairs, pink leather, and the iconic green marble bar. The cocktail menu here is award-winning and divided into sections celebrating exploitation and escapism. By day, Dandelyan also serves a boozy afternoon tea. Don't miss it!

8. Oriole — Farringdon

Alex Chatwin / Courtesy of Oriole, David Netherton / Courtesy of Oriole

Oriole fuses 1940s nightclub decor with exotic influences from all corners of the world. The concept celebrates the fusion of flavors that occurred between the old world, the new world, and the orient. While the space is nice, it's the cocktails themselves that command attention. Inspired by drinking habits in cultures around the world, each cocktail is crafted with a huge array of fresh ingredients and delivered in a unique vessel. If you've always wanted to drink bourbon out of a bull horn, this place is for you.

9. Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood Hotel — Holborn

Courtesy of Scarfes Bar, Addie Chinn / Courtesy of Scarfes Bar

Scarfes Bar has the atmosphere of Winston Churchill's drawing room. The ambiance is dignified with a roaring fire, velvet armchairs, and bookcases lined with over 1,000 antique books. But in true Churchill fashion, it's also place to drink with purpose. Gerald Scarfe, renowned British caricaturist, led the vision for this bar, and his drawings adorn the walls. All in all, it's a great place for a drink when you have stately — but not stuffy — company. They also recently launched a new cocktail menu.

10. Shochu — Fitzrovia

ROKA

Understated appeal is the best way to describe Shochu's basement bar. The chic decor is contrasted against the colorful pop of a wall-sized mural featuring eclectic Japanese iconography. If you visit, be sure to order a shochu infusion. Shochu is an earthy Japanese liquor that straddles the distance between saké and whiskey. When they name the bar after the spirit you know it's not to be missed!

11. SUSHISAMBA — City of London

Ming Tang-evans / Courtesy of SUSHISAMBA

It's easy to sum up why the bar at SUSHISAMBA is incredible. You are drinking 38 stories above London, outside, under a neon-orange tree. Ta-da! SUSHISAMBA has the highest outdoor dining terraces in Europe, and the 360-degree view of London is simply fantastic. Garnish that view with a great cocktail (or three), and you've got yourself a night to remember.

12. Artesian Bar — Marylebone

Courtesy of Artesian Bar

This cocktail bar has been called "The World's Best Bar" for four consecutive years. The elevated interior has oriental flair, custom chandeliers, and purple crocodile leather, so you feel a bit like you're a guest in the parlor of a foreign dignitary who is also a Prince-loving bon vivant. But what really sets it apart is the ridiculous presentation of the cocktails. For one drink, the bartender lights a fire in your glass and then extinguishes it with the cocktail from his shaker. Amazing. This is the place to bring people if you want the drink to also be the show.

These bars are just some of the places that Great Britain is famous for. When you're done barhopping, check out the British music scene.

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Go to BritishFamous.com to learn more about the best things in Britain.