CHLOE Magazine Fall Winter 2014 Volume 5 Issue 2 | Page 48

LE BAR Shangri-La Hotel, Paris A special, sophisticated sound design complements Le Bar’s authentic Empire décor. Unwind here in true Parisian style with The Pink Lady, our signature cocktail in honour of Lady Mendl, former resident of the property. Explore fresh and exotic flavours with the Asian Touch cocktails like the Pékin Express, or enjoy a glass from an extensive wine list. Another Round Classic hotel bar cocktails I can picture Alistair Cooke preserved in one of the Dukes Bar’s forest green velvet corner chairs, a chilled martini on the table before him. It’s so well hidden – off St James’s Place, which is off St James’s Street – Dukes is practically a speakeasy. Here the martinis are straight up frozen gin or vodka enlivened with dashes o f bespoke vermouth and oil expertly wrung from generous peels of Amalfi lemon by white-jacketed bartenders, led by Alessandro Palazzi. A proper old London establishment, it is neither cheap (at £16-£17 per drink) nor pretentious. Dukes Bar, Dukes Hotel, London