Signature Cocktails Invented in Hotels

When Knickerbocker bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia served John D. Rockefeller his concoction of dry gin and vermouth in 1906, the martini was born. Today, head bartender at the hotel’s signature Charlie Palmer restaurant, Karma Jamyang serves his own twist on this classic drink. The Knickerbocker Martini features Tanqueray 10 gin, dry and sweet vermouth, and dashes of orange and citrus bitter, iced and stirred.

Housed in a former textile factory, Cotton House Hotel pays homage to its history at every turn, and this extends to the cocktails crafted by its team of award-winning bartenders. The most exquisite is the Gossypium Cocktail, named after the cotton flower and inspired by Barcelona’s Mediterranean coast. A unique mix of pisco, blue curaçao, gin, lime and spices, it takes two weeks to properly blend all the aromas.

The hotel that gave us the term “ritzy” also gave us two of the most sophisticated cocktails: Serendipity and Sidecar, both found at the Ritz Paris’ legendary Bar Hemingway. The first is a refreshing mix of mint, apple and champagne, invented by Forbe’s twice ‘Best Head Barman in the World’, Colin Field. The latter is the world’s most expensive cocktail; created by the hotel’s first bartender Frank Meier in 1923 for his wealthy American clients, the signature ingredient is very old, rare cognac.

Originating from a New Orleans saloon, the Sazerac is widely considered the world’s first mixed drink, and there is nowhere more fitting to enjoy one than at The Roosevelt New Orlean’s Sazerac Bar. This legendary bar’s most popular cocktail is stiff and simple like the original, comprised of Sazerac rye, Peychaud’s bitters, a single sugar cube and Herbsaint (a 1930s absinthe alternative, adding a touch of prohibition-era glamour).

On weekends in a lobby nook of the InterContinental Washington D.C. – The Wharf, you can find the pop-up Hennessy Bar, offered in partnership with the cognac brand. Stop by to experience five uniquely curated cocktails, such as the Sazerac elevated with Hennessy V.S.O.P. Privilège or the Extra Bold Cocktail, featuring a base of Hennessy X.O. and finished with cherry wood smoke.

Discovered by bar manager Brad Stanton in the hotel’s archives, the Hotel Georgia Cocktail was resurrected for the opening of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s Hawksworth Restaurant. Altering the original recipe for today’s tastes, Stanton’s version of the 1950s recipe–now made with Beefeater Gin, lemon, Orgeat, orange blossom water, egg white and nutmeg–is silky smooth with a balance of light sweetness and florals.

Famed bartender at The St. Regis New York, Fernand Petiot perfected his vodka and tomato juice cocktail in 1934. Originally coined the Bloody Mary, it was later renamed the Red Snapper to better suit the hotel’s refined clientele. Now, more than 80 years later, it’s still the signature cocktail at King Cole Bar, made with a house mix which includes squeezed lemons, whole black peppercorns and ground cayenne.

Considered one of the world’s best bars, Hotel Fénix, a Gran Meliá Hotel-Madrid’s Dry Martini Bar is helmed by world-renowned Javier de las Muelas of the original Dry Martini in Barcelona. De la Muelas expanded the hotel’s cocktails to an extensive menu ranging from 100 dry martinis to his “excentric” and tea-infused cocktails. Also served are the signature cocktails he designed for prestigious brands, so you can sip on the Ferrari or the Chanel.

The Savoy’s American Bar is an iconic institution in London, and its most iconic cocktail is The White Lady. In the late 1920s, the hotel’s own Harry Craddock evolved a drink called the Delilah, by switching crème de menthe to Cointreau. It became a classic and was published in The Savoy Cocktail Book. You can still enjoy it at the bar today, now prepared with gin, Cointreau, lemon and the modern addition of egg white.

The Cocktail Lab at the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Botanist Bar is the birthplace of sophisticated yet whimsical cocktails. Adopting a culinary approach behind the bar, award-winning Creative Beverage Director, Grant Sceney and Head Bartender, Jeff Savage’s innovative menu has earned the bar many accolades. From foraged mushroom-infused rye to oyster leaf martinis, every cocktail is artful and unique.