Bottoms up! The 50 best bars worldwide

Is there anything finer than to enjoy a well-made drink in convivial surroundings with like-minded folk? Absolutely not, says food critic and author <b>Richard Ehrlich</b>, who dispatched his expert panel to seek out top watering-holes on several continents. Remember, somewhere in the world it's always opening time...

The panelClassic Tequila and Party Drinkshangoverguide.com

18 November 2000

Pick and click for details

Best bars in London
The American Bar, Savoy Hotel, London WC2
Duke's Bar, Duke's Hotel, London SW1
Trader Vic's Hilton Hotel, London W1
The Library, Lanesborough Hotel, London SW1
Tsar's Bar, Langham Place Hilton, London W1
LAB, Soho, London W1
Match and Match 2, London EC1 and W1
Alphabet, Beak Street, London W1
Dick's Bar, Atlantic Bar & Grill, London W1
La Perla, Covent Garden, London WC2

Best bars in New York'21' Club, 52nd Street, New YorkThe Blue Bar, Algonquin Hotel, New YorkOak Bar, The Plaza, New YorkAsia De Cuba, Morgans Hotel, New YorkBemelmans Bar, The Carlyle, New YorkBlackbird, New YorkBubble Lounge, TriBeCa, New YorkCub Room, SoHo, New YorkPeacock Alley, Waldorf Astoria, New York

Best bars in Paris
Bar Du Crillon, 8th arrondissement, Paris
Cafe Charbon, 11th arrondissement, Paris
La Closerie Des Lilas, 6th arrondissement, Paris
Hemingway Bar, 1st arrondissement, Paris
Les Deux Magots, 6th arrondissement, Paris
China Club, 12th arrondissement, Paris
Le Fumoir, 1st arrondissement, Paris
Willi's Wine Bar, 1st arrondissement, Paris
Harry's Bar, 2nd arrondissement, Paris
Fifty-Seven Fifty-Seven, Four Seasons Hotel, New York
Au General Lafayette, 9th arrondissement, Paris

Best bars points eastBamboo Bar, Hotel Oriental, BangkokCellar Bar, Wierzynek Restaurant, KrakowCipriani Bars, The Cipriani, VeniceColumn Bar, Hotel Bristol, WarsawGreendoor Bar, BerlinHarry's Bar, VeniceLong Island Resort, Koh Samui, ThailandChowringhee Bar, The Oberoi, CalcuttaWriter's Bar, Raffles Hotel, SingaporeMojo, Leeds

Best bars points west
Coq D'Or Restaurant, Drake Hotel, Chicago
Grill 23 and Bar, Back Bay, Boston
Les Deux Fontaines, Ocean Front Hotel, Miami Beach
The Compass Rose, St Francis Hotel, San Francisco
Zebra Lounge, Chicago
Left at Albuquerque, Union Street, San Francisco
Chateau Marmont, Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles
Hurricane Bar, The Fairmont, San Francisco
The Seelbach, Louisville, Kentucky
Top of the Mark, Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental, San Francisco

NB: Details were checked at the time of going to press but are liable to change.