Top hotel bars across America with innovative cocktails

These long-standing hotel bars, rich with heritage and atmosphere, are destinations worth experiencing whether or not you are staying at the property due to their prominence in cocktail culture and history.

While hotel bars have the built-in advantage of being conveniently located within the same building as guest rooms, allowing patrons to easily retire for the evening, the truly exceptional establishments draw in far more than just overnight visitors. Some of the top hotel bars in America stand out significantly from other watering holes in their respective cities through cultivating intricate histories, unique atmospheres, and mastery of cocktail craft.

For example, The Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans is renowned for innovating iconic cocktails like its namesake Sazerac and the Ramos gin fizz. With origins dating back decades, it helped pioneer classic New Orleans libations and remains one of the city's stalwart drinking destinations. Likewise, The Fairmont San Francisco's Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar has long entertained guests with its indoor rainforest complete with simulated storms, residing as a quirky cornerstone of Frisco culture. Beyond hotel perks, these hotels cultivate top-tier experiences that keep regulars returning regardless of accommodations.

Our top pick for best overall hotel bar is The Carousel Bar & Lounge at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. Not only does it boast a vibrant cocktail history, originating classics like the Vieux Carré, but it also offers an unparalleled novelty experience thanks to its continuously rotating bar structure powered by a hidden chain motor. This unique set-up within the historic French Quarter haunt challenges bartenders to memorize faces rather than seat numbers as patrons spin between drinks.

Rarely can a drinking establishment claim such literary lore. Authors like Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner referenced The Carousel Bar in their works, while playwright Tennessee Williams frequently socialized as a guest. It celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, cementing its status as a one-of-a-kind Nouveau Orleans mainstay that innovated cocktails and fostered creative communities for decades inside its motorized walls.

Many of the top hotel bars are deeply entrenched in history, with legions of iconic cocktails tracing their origins to hotel mixologists. When considering beloved classic libations, the innovating minds behind their inventions were likely hotel bartenders. The hotel bar came into significant prominence during the 19th century, rising alongside the "Golden Age of Cocktails" spanning from the 1860s through Prohibition. This overlapping "Golden Era" helped cement the role of hotel bars as laboratories for crafting cocktails that have endured for generations. 

The Hurricane Bar at Fairmont San Francisco

At the top of any tiki aficionado's bucket list should be The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar. Conceived by a revered Hollywood production designer, this whimsical San Francisco institution revolves around a lagoon, which was formerly the hotel's indoor swimming pool. Live music floats in from houseboats while elaborate cocktails starring rum course through the space, festively adorned with miniature umbrellas. Transporting guests to the South Seas, simulated rain and crashing thunder complement the tropics-evoking atmosphere. 

The J-Bar at Hotel Jerome

During Prohibition, covert imbibers frequented the pioneering J-Bar nestled inside Colorado's Hotel Jerome in Aspen. Under the guise of "The Crud," which resembled an innocent milkshake but packed a potent bourbon punch, patrons clandestinely quenched their thirsts. Over the decades, the J-Bar has welcomed all manner of Old West characters, including miners and cowboys who were known to ride their horses directly into the establishment. It also played host to training troops from the 10th Mountain Division on the nearby slopes and even served as campaign headquarters for writer Hunter S. Thompson during his upstart bid for sheriff. 

Magnum Speakeasy at Hotel Vin

Part of the enjoyment of travel is stepping outside one's comfort zone. Guests at Magnum Speakeasy inside Hotel Vin can do just that by selecting the "Dealer's Choice" option when ordering a beverage. Bartenders will thoughtfully concoct a customized cocktail tailored to the patron's stated tastes, taking creative license to surprise and delight with an artfully crafted libation. Hidden behind an unassuming phone booth in the lobby, the intimate 18-seat subterranean lounge holds an impressive selection of whiskies, bourbons, and innovative signature drinks, such as the Gold Fashioned starring high-proof Maker's Mark bourbon infused with Liquor 43 liqueur, cocoa bitters, and an extravagant gold leaf garnish - the ideal spot to explore new flavors under the radar.