The Goring Cocktail Bar

The Goring Cocktail Bar sits on the ground floor of The Goring, the Belgravia hotel Otto Goring opened in 1910 and his family has run ever since. The bar room proper is a marble counter under a gilded coffered ceiling, with mirrored cabinets of spirits lit from within and a short row of stools for anyone who would rather watch the work than sit at a table. Next door, The Lounge is where most people settle: an open fire kept lit through winter, botanical panels stacked to the cornice, deep velvet banquettes and a grand piano in the corner.

Music runs through the week, with a pianist on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, a live band on Thursdays and a pianist with vocals on Fridays and Saturdays. The bar team build their drinks with herbs cut from the hotel's own garden, and the house list sits alongside the classics: a Garden Negroni, and a 'Thank You, Your Majesty' named for the King. In summer the same drinks are carried out into the garden.

The Goring publishes five private rooms for hire and the bar is not among them. Exclusive use of the bar and lounge is arranged directly with the hotel's events and private dining team rather than sold as a package, which suits a drinks reception a short walk from Buckingham Palace, with the hotel's one-MICHELIN-star Dining Room a few doors along.