After a day out exploring, I love unwinding with an aperitif at a fine bar right where I’m staying. A great hotel bar should have a fashionable décor, comfortable seating and, of course, impeccably mixed cocktails. Ideally, the atmosphere feels simultaneously convivial and exclusive. In a world full of problems, it should be a civilized oasis. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

These are the hotel bars we visited in 2025 that made the cut.

Portrait Bar, Fifth Avenue Hotel
New York City, New York

I always enjoy a bar that a passerby on the street wouldn’t realize is there; it feels all the more insider. In the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the clubby Portrait Bar hides down a short hallway behind reception. Framed faces crowd its wood-paneled walls. Cocktails are named after places like Cebu Island, Kolkata and Marrakech, making the menu seem tailor-made for the traveler. The gin-based Oaxaca, for example, had notes of citrus, tobacco, paprika and chocolate, demonstrating that the drinks have substance as well as style. Make reservations in advance, if possible.

Read our full review of Fifth Avenue Hotel »

Rum Room, Rosewood Little Dix Bay
British Virgin Islands

Beneath Rosewood Little Dix Bay’s signature conical roofs, the open-air Rum Room frames sweeping water views and boasts more than 100 rare and aged rums from around the globe. One afternoon, I sank into an armchair with a “Rum DMC,” a complex cocktail of rum, bourbon, sweet vermouth, amaro, tamarind, pineapple juice and clarified milk. Sipping my drink to the music of a local band, with the sea stretching out before me — it was the very picture of a Caribbean escape.

Read our full review of Rosewood Little Dix Bay »

Advocatuur, Rosewood Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands

The speakeasy-style Advocatuur bar epitomizes quiet glamour, with plush velvet and leather furnishings below striking snapshots of musicians by Amsterdam-based photographer Anton Corbijn. The cocktail list surprises with unconventional ingredients like stroopwafel, barley and aloe vera, and well-prepared Indian-inspired dishes (onion pakora with mint chutney, chile-glazed pork belly) emerge piping hot straight from a tandoor. The sophisticated sexiness of the space, the inventive drinks and the vibrant snacks combine to make Advocatuur a hotel bar of the highest caliber. Plus, it has a Genever tasting room housed in a former jail cell and its own small distillery.

Read our full review of Rosewood Amsterdam »

Cirrus 9, The Oberoi New Delhi
New Delhi, India

According to our waiter, The Oberoi New Delhi is the only hotel in town to have a true rooftop bar. If there are others, I can’t imagine how they would be superior. In the distance, we could see the dome of Humayun’s Tomb, and in the other direction, the sun had started to set behind a tree-filled golf course. The bar’s nine signature cocktails are all named after local landmarks. My Qila Legacy, a tart and floral concoction of reposado tequila, jasmine and lemon, came inside a little domed pavilion, inspired by the architecture of the nearby Purina Qila (Old Fort) — a charming presentation that didn’t feel gimmicky. Service was notably gracious and welcoming.

Read our full review of The Oberoi New Delhi »

Stella, Capella Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand

Capella Bangkok already had it all: elegant riverside accommodations, a cocoonlike atmosphere and sincere hospitality — and then I discovered Stella, its glitzy cocktail bar that evokes the art deco style popular in Siam a century ago. Under a mirrored coffered ceiling and a glittering chandelier, a white peacock looms large on its perch, watching guests as they sip complex cocktails like the aromatic Silk Route (gin, Lillet, sherry and ratafia with a dash of frankincense) or the peppery piña-colada-like Electric Lotus (tequila, mezcal, pineapple, white Penja pepper and clarified milk). The drinks are just as striking as the room they’re served in.

Read our full review of Capella Bangkok »