The Bar is the Heart of the Hotel

History, cocktails, and craft from iconic hotel bars around the world

Step inside the world’s most storied hotel bars, where history is poured into every glass. Explore the origins of infamous cocktails, discover the secrets of renowned bartenders, and find inspiration to hone your craft.

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The Upper House – Hong Kong

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars. Our next stop is Hong Kong!

Knickerbocker Martini

The Knickerbocker Martini: Recipe and Origin Story

Was the Knickerbocker Martini the first dry martini? Explore its debated origins, original recipe, and lasting influence on cocktail history.

Manhattan Bar Singapore

Manhattan Bar Singapore: Bringing NYC to Southeast Asia

What happens when New York’s golden age of cocktails is reimagined halfway across the world? 🍸 Find out at Manhattan Bar Singapore. Altamura Distilleries.

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DarkSide’s Marco Maiorano on innovation, culture, and craft

At DarkSide Hong Kong, cocktails are just the starting point. For Bar Manager Marco Maiorano, the focus is on blending classic technique with innovation.

Champagne Cocktails - Fleurissimo

6 sophisticated Champagne cocktails from luxury hotel bars

Champagne cocktails beyond the mimosa—discover the sparkling drinks born in iconic luxury hotel bars, where glamour, excess and cocktail history collide.

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Aleph Rome Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, Italy

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars. Our next stop is Rome!

DarkSide Hong Kong

DarkSide Hong Kong—Rosewood’s timeless yet innovative jazz bar

DarkSide Hong Kong is Rosewood’s award-winning jazz bar, blending rare spirits, classic cocktails, and live music in the heart of Kowloon.

Martini Service

Martini service: why luxury hotel bars serve tableside

Luxury hotel bars are reviving tableside martini service with elegant martini trolleys. Discover where to find them and why the ritual is making a comeback.

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Where writers drank: 3 hotel bars behind literary history

From Paris to New York to New Orleans, explore the hotel bars where writers like Hemingway, Capote, and Dorothy Parker turned conversation into literature.

Jonathan Gabbay

An interview with ARGO’s Jonathan Gabbay

ARGO Beverage Manager Jonathan Gabbay discusses precision, mentorship, and why grounded creativity defines modern luxury bartending.

Argo Bar Hong Kong

Argo Bar Hong Kong: Winning acclaim for the Four Seasons

Argo Bar Hong Kong at the Four Seasons blends innovation, whimsy, and world-class cocktails—earning its place among the world’s best bars.

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The Heart of the Hotel: La Perla, Corvara

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars. Our next stop is Corvara!

best hotel cocktail bars

12 of the world’s most famous hotel bars

Discover the best hotel cocktail bars in the world—London, NYC, and beyond—perfect for mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts alike.

Virtù Tokyo

Virtù Tokyo: Exuding a true French–Japanese identity

Step inside Virtù Tokyo, where Parisian glamour and Japanese precision quietly collide—creating one of Tokyo’s most talked-about cocktail bars.

BKK social club bangkok

BKK Social Club: Bringing Latin American luxury to Bangkok

Located in the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, this Gatsby-esque hotel bar invites guests to explore the iconic parties of Latin America.

Stravinskij Bar

Stravinskij Bar: Rome’s inner-city oasis

A lush garden setting. Impeccable cocktails. Maestro-level mixology. Discover why the Stravinskij Bar is newly ranked among the world’s top bars.

botanist bar - grant sceney

Botanist Bar Vancouver: Unrivaled experiential cocktails

See how Botanist Bar Vancouver’s cocktail lab and award-winning techniques are setting the standard for modern mixology.

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The Heart of the Hotel: Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars. Our next stop is Copenaghen!

Vieux Carré Cocktail

The Vieux Carré: Meaning, history & cocktail recipe

Before the Carousel Bar and its spectacle, Hotel Monteleone was already a cornerstone of New Orleans cocktail culture. It’s here, in an old-world lounge, that the Vieux Carré was born.

Carousel Bar history started in 1949 with this red-and-white striped canopy

Carousel Bar history: 75+ years of cocktails with a spin

Discover Carousel Bar history at Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans’ iconic spinning bar. From Walter Bergeron’s Vieux Carré to tips on how to get a seat.

Hilton Stucky Molino Venice

The Heart of the Hotel: Hilton Stucky Molino Venice

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars. Our next stop is Venice!

holiday drinks - 5 refined ones

5 refined holiday drinks from the world’s best hotel bars

Level up your mixology this season with holiday drinks from world-famous hotel bars—festive, elegant, and perfect for discerning guests.

American Bar at the Savoy

American Bar at the Savoy: Where cocktail history lives on

The American Bar at The Savoy Hotel London is the longest standing cocktail bar in the city. But the name raised eyebrows in Victorian-era London. Why “American”?

Peter Dorelli

From accidental bartender to Savoy legend: the journey of Peter Dorelli

Best known for his decades at The American Bar at The Savoy, Peter Dorelli combines old-world hospitality with a flair for storytelling...

Singapore Sling Cocktail

Singapore Sling cocktail: History, recipe, and more

In the early 1900s, women were discouraged from drinking in public. Of course, they didn’t let a little discouragement stop them...

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The Heart of the Hotel: 1 Hotel Mayfair

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars. Our next stop is LONDON!

hanky panky cocktail

By Jove, that’s the real Hanky Panky! The cocktail recipe

It’s early 1900s London, and a fatigued comedic actor named Sir Charles Hawtrey walks into a bar. No, this is not the start to an overused joke—it’s the start to the Hanky Panky cocktail.

The St. Regis Bloody Mary Book

6 essential cocktail books from famous hotel bars

Some of the most iconic cocktails ever created have come from the world's best hotel bars. Dive into the stories and techniques behind these legendary hotel bars and bartenders.

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The Heart of the Hotel: Four Seasons Florence

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars, the beating heart of the hotel. Our next stop is Florence!

Rob Roy cocktail

The Rob Roy cocktail: A Waldorf Astoria creation

From the Scottish Highlands to the original Waldorf Astoria hotel, the Rob Roy cocktail carries a legacy that’s anything but ordinary.

Antonio Ferrara

Crafting Stories in Every Sip: An Interview with Antonio Ferrara

In this interview, Antonio reflects on the early inspirations that drew him to bartending, the impact of his mentor, and how he and his team bring Aman’s philosophy to life behind the bar.

Edoardo Sandri

Behind the Atrium Bar: An Interview with Edoardo Sandri

In this interview, Edoardo shares what sets the Atrium Bar apart, tells the story behind his Folies Bergère cocktail, and offers advice about real life as an exceptional bartender.

The mimosa cocktail recipe

The Mimosa Cocktail: From the Ritz Paris to brunch bestie

It began not as a hangover cure or midday indulgence, but as a quiet luxury, served in crystal flutes at one of the most glamorous hotels in the world. The Mimosa Cocktail.

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The Heart of the Hotel: St. Regis Venice

This year, in association with Altamura Distilleries, I’ll be exploring some of the world’s most legendary bars, the beating heart of the hotel. For our first, we head straight to Venice.

salvatore calabrese, Federico Pavan and Sebastian Tollius

What Aspiring Bartenders Can Learn from The Maestro

If you dream of leaving your mark behind the bar, there’s no better mentor than Salvatore Calabrese. Known around the world as The Maestro, Calabrese is...

Red Snapper Cocktail

Red Snapper Cocktail & the Bloody Mary origin story

Most people are well acquainted with the classic Bloody Mary. But how many have heard of the Red Snapper cocktail. It’s a bit of a trick question.


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Altamura Distilleries Premium Spirits
Altamura Distilleries Premium Spirits

Altamura Distilleries Premium Spirits