Coburg Bar

The Coburg Bar is the classic of the two bars at The Connaught, the grand Mayfair hotel on Carlos Place. It occupies a long panelled room with an ornate ceiling, a central bar backed by tiers of collectible whisky, and two fireplaces set with antiqued mirrors that trick the eye into reading the room as deeper than it is. Paris designer India Mahdavi reupholstered the original wingback chairs in jewel-coloured velvet, and black-and-white cameos by the artist Julian Opie flank the hearth. It is a quiet, low-lit sort of room, sunlit in a corner by day and clubbable after dark.

The draw here is the whisky. The bar keeps an unusually deep list of rare and collectible bottlings and runs guided tastings with a sommelier, pairing single malts against a plate of cheese; the cocktails run classic and precise rather than theatrical, which is the Coburg's whole character next to its showier sibling along the corridor. Doors are open from morning through to 1am, Monday to Saturday, on a no-reservation policy for walk-in drinks.

For a private event the room takes exclusive hire, arranged through the house: a self-contained reception among the velvet, panelling and firelight, with the hotel's kitchens and cellar behind it. It reads as a Mayfair drawing room that happens to pour some of the best whisky in London.