DUKES Bar

DUKES LONDON is a sophisticated, luxury hotel where you will arrive as a guest and leave as a friend.

DUKES London Mayfair : DUKES Bar

DUKES BAR OPENING TIMES Monday to Saturday: From 2pm to 11pm Sunday and Bank Holidays: From 4pm to 10.30pm Prior to these opening times, guests can enjoy drinks in the Drawing Room or in the Cognac Cigar Garden.

The dress code for DUKES Bar is smart, casual.

https://www.dukeshotel.com

Hotel Review: Dukes Hotel Mayfair,delighting in a room fit for a ...

It is at Dukes Hotel where this repartee often conducts itself.

For it is of course at Dukes Bar, the quaint drinking quarters of the hotel, where the late James Bond author and creator Ian Fleming became so partial to his dry vermouth and gin-licked beverage, that he was prompted to coin the now most celebrated phrase, ‘A Martini.

So celebrated is this drink’s legacy, that guests often come to Dukes organising their stay around a visit to the Bar.

While the continued existence of an establishment like Dukes is to our great fortune, it almost seems a pity that clouds of cigar smoke aren’t being emanated from top-hat wearing and stick-swivelling politicians or that grand horses and carriages aren’t awaiting the departing guests outside the entrance porticos.

Dukes Hotel has just launched their ‘Duchess Rooms’, a discreet service tailored to female business and leisure guests.

Dukes Hotel Bar for Martini - review - Mostly Food and Travel Journal

One finds Dukes Hotel tucked away in a courtyard off a quiet side street in St James’s.

Dukes Bar is said to be the inspiration behind the classic request, ‘shaken, not stirred’, although a Martini here will never be shaken.

No, dear illiterate reader, that isn’t a reference to the nifty Italian motor scooter but obliquely to the time of day – it’s Latin for evening – and absolutely in homage to Vesper Lynd, a character featured in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel Casino Royale.

The Vesper Martini gained popularity after the novel’s publication, and gave rise to the famous ‘shaken, not stirred’ catchphrase immortalised in every James Bond film thereafter.

Bar opening times: Monday to Saturday – 2pm to 11pm Sunday and Bank Holidays – 4pm to 10.30pm Phone: +44 (0)20 7491 4840 Fax: +44 (0)20 7493 1264 For further information and reservations phone: +44 (0)20 7491 4840 Email: [email protected] Visit Dukes Hotel here

Duke's Bar – Review

There are times when nothing else will do than a perfectly constructed dry vodka martini and at those moments there is only man to go and see-the legendary Alessandro Palazzi.

Alessandro has been managing the discrete and intimate bar at Dukes for a few years now and is the supplier of the most profound and exciting alcohol hit to be had in London.

The process begins with Alessandro bringing over the Martini trolley laden with a bottle of the holiest and purest of spirits-Plotocki vodka.

At this point The Hedonist is already starting to feel slightly wobbly with anticipation as Alessandro tells the now familiar tale of the Plotocki family history, his comforting tones lulling you into a sense of security as the chilled rye-flavoured liquid gently caresses  the glass.

Your resistance will be so lowered by the first martini that you probably won’t be able to leave without trying a second one just to confirm the experience and of course all this pleasure comes at a price, but if you are worried about the price you probably shouldn’t be at Dukes in the first place.

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Coming here for a drink is certainly the place if you fancy a little luxury, whether that being a good glass of vintage Bordeaux, a cigar in the garden or cocktail made at your table from the trolley which makes its way around the room.

Coming here for a drink is certainly the place if you fancy a little luxury, whether that being a good glass of vintage Bordeaux, a cigar in the garden or cocktail made at your table from the trolley which makes its way around the room.

A gorgeously smooth, very delicately flavoured goats cheese which had a texture similar to a mouse, but a little firmer.

Little balls of pumpkin had colour, but absolutely no flavour – I may as well have been sucking balls of ice.

Mini meringues were well flavoured but a little too soft, the macaroons were too cold and while very well made, it meant they didn’t have a chance to warm up and show off their flavour.

DUKES London Mayfair : Boutique Hotel, England's Leading Hotel

About DUKES LONDON Nestled in the heart of historic St. James’s Mayfair, DUKES LONDON is a sophisticated, luxury hotel where you will arrive as a guest and leave as a friend.

Ever since King Henry 8th built his palace here in the 16th Century, St. James’s has been the exclusive retreat of writers, musicians, politicians and royalty.

Whether you choose to stay in one of our modern or classic style bedrooms or deluxe suites, unwind in the legendary DUKES Bar, savour our Great British gastronomic delights, or embrace true English chic with Champagne afternoon tea, we promise you an enthusiastic team, dedicated entirely to making your time here exceptional.

We look forward to welcoming you on your next visit to London.

Dukes Hotel (London, United Kingdom) | Jetsetter

Dukes Hotel - London | Oyster.co.uk Review & Photos

Dukes Hotel is a pricey, prestigious 90-room boutique delivering an updated take on classic English luxury.

It's quietly opulent and features plenty of special boutique amenities, such as a cognac and cigar garden, and a Drawing Room where traditional afternoon tea is served.

The most notable feature, however, is Dukes Bar, frequented by James Bond creator Ian Fleming, and the birthplace of the famous "Shaken, not stirred" line.

(The bar is, naturally, famous for its martinis -- but note that there's a strict dress code.)

Rooms have upscale decor that varies between room types; lower level rooms have fresh ivory and white decor, while suites blend classic and contemporary styles.

Dukes Hotel - London | Oyster.com Review & Photos

Dukes Hotel is a pricey, prestigious 90-room boutique delivering an updated take on classic English luxury.

It's quietly opulent and features plenty of special boutique amenities, such as a cognac and cigar garden, and a Drawing Room where traditional afternoon tea is served.

The most notable feature, however, is Dukes Bar, frequented by James Bond creator Ian Fleming, and the birthplace of the famous "Shaken, not stirred" line.

(The bar is, naturally, famous for its martinis -- but note that there's a strict dress code.)

Rooms have upscale decor that varies between room types; lower level rooms have fresh ivory and white decor, while suites blend classic and contemporary styles.

Dukes London, Luxury Hotel in London, United Kingdom | SLH

With its heritage style and warm hospitality, DUKES London is a sophisticated home-from-home in the heart of the city.

Its Victorian exterior evokes a time when artists and writers rubbed shoulders with royalty in fashionable St. James, London.

For the ultimate in luxury, book the Penthouse for grand views over Green Park.

Downstairs, this boutique hotel offers something for any mood or time of day.

Borrow a bike from DUKES London and cycle around St. James’s Park.

Dukes Hotel | Hotels in St James', London

London’s hotel scene is stuffed with topnotch quintessential Englishness a la ‘Downton Abbey’, but few can lay claim to being the watering hole of James Bond creator Ian Fleming and (some say) the home of the world’s best martini.

The Cigar and Cognac Garden is the place to head for a post-dinner puff (though only of cigars purchased from the hotel).

Dukes Bar in London | World's Best Bars

This is a cocktail land classic.

As it turned out I didn't reach for the sky but for another full glass as the expertise of bar manager Alessandro Palazzi can't be stalled at the singular, nor indeed at the seventh.

What their peers say "My favourite bar........ simple,Dukes bar in St James, its the text book example of simple, unpretentious cocktail making.

Always order from the trolley list, your bartender comes to you with 2 or 3 spirits (all of which are straight from the freezer), a vermouth or bitters and a fruit bowl.

The glass is from the freezer too, your cocktail is stirred in front of you (no ice is needed) and garnished from the fruit bowl.