Vesper Bar at The Dorchester

Named for Ian Fleming's invention — the Vesper Martini, shaken, never stirred — this is where The Dorchester's James Bond connection becomes something you can actually sit inside. The bar opened in January 2023, occupying the ground-floor space that once housed The Bar at The Dorchester, redesigned entirely by Martin Brudnizki. The interior takes 1930s luxury as its reference point: a Palladium leaf ceiling that glows warm copper by lamplight, a Sienna marble bar counter, timber marquetry wall panels and an Art Deco carpet that runs the full length of the room. Cecil Beaton's original drawings and celebrity photographs from his Dorchester years are distributed across the walls.

The bar divides naturally into three zones. The main floor holds the Sienna marble bar counter and a cluster of curved green velvet banquettes and blue fabric armchairs, each table set with a coral pink lamp. A slight step up leads to the Upper Area — a semi-private elevated section set apart by its own light and its views out towards Park Lane — which seats up to 30 and is available for exclusive hire. Behind a heavy tasselled curtain at the far end of the room, The Snug holds eight guests in near-total privacy: dark green fabric walls, a scalloped decorative border, curved banquette seating and its own set of amber-lit brass side tables.

The bar has its own dedicated entrance on Park Lane and a small outside terrace with Hyde Park views. DJs perform Wednesday through Saturday, and the cocktail programme is led by an award-winning team with a focus on forgotten recipes and impeccably executed martinis. The bar holds the only listing in London for the full Louis XIII cognac range served by the glass.