Latest news with #hotelbars
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Touring Boston's Hotel Bars: The Fed At The Langham
Wondering what a German Mark might taste like, in cocktail form? The Fed, off the lobby of the Langham, Boston, imagines it starting with a base of Monkey 47 Gin, which hails from Germany's Black Forest, infused with snap peas, blended with lemon-peel-infused dry vermouth and a Frankfurt green sauce herb oil. Classic decor and inventive cocktails await at the Fed Langham Boston Sounds weird, right? So how could I resist? The result is a delightfully herbaceous take on a martini, well-balanced and slightly citrusy. I love hotel bars, and Boston has its fair share of spots with an international flair and impeccable hospitality. The Fed is my second stop in an occasional series visiting the Hub's hotel-based watering holes. I plucked the German Mark from 'the Treasury Collection,' a list of cocktails at the Fed named for different country's currencies then made with ingredients from those countries. It's just one way the bar has a lot of fun while paying homage to the building's original occupant, the Boston Federal Reserve, which opened in 1922. The brainchild of Bar Manager Aliz Meszesi, the cocktail list is surely one of the most unique in the city. Romanian-born Meszesi ditched medical school to mix drinks, arriving in Boston in 2015 to help perfect the cocktail menu at Committee before doing the same at Hecate. Now she combines her own expertise with ideas from every employee at The Fed, from hosts/hostesses and food runners to the bartenders, soliciting suggestions for the seasonal menu from anyone who wants to contribute. Currently, the list includes that German Mark, which was invented by server/bartender Marco Cerulloas, and the Japanese Yen, crafted by bartender Matt White, which starts with Suntory Toki Whisky blended with white peach and house-made sakura-honey syrup, topped with soda water. Who wouldn't want to indulge in the Philippine Peso, colored with ube and flavored with Filipino citrus and coconut? The Langham Boston The currency theme even invites some employees back to their roots: the Philippine Peso, created by native Filipino Jasmine Darlucio, was inspired by Halo-Halo, the iconic dessert from her home country. The blend starts with Banks 5 Rum, and combines it with a native citrus called calamansi, ube and coconut milk to create a layered joyful drink. Beyond cocktails, seekers of rare pours should ask about 'The Vault,' home to the Fed's most precious spirits — like Rabbit Hole Mizunara Founders Release. Only 1403 bottles were released of this cask-strength blend of 15-year-old Kentucky bourbons, married and then re-casked for a full year in virgin Mizunara oak, a rare Japanese wood said to impart stunning complexity, and they have only one of the few allocated in the U.S. Order a spritz and don your sunglasses on the Rose Garden Terrace. The Langham Boston The Fed is strictly an afternoon-into-evening spot, filled with cozy conversational table arrangements, low lighting and inviting padded seats at the bar. it's currently the only dinner outlet at The Langham – as such the menu, which continues the banking theme by listing small plates under 'Share the Wealth' and raw bar as 'Cold Cash,' is an interesting mash-up of high-end pub grub (think wings, calamari and burgers) and the kinds of New England classics like lobster rolls and oysters that travelers want to explore. While the Fed features a cozy ambience intended to evoke private clubs from the 1920s, seasonally it steps out of the darkness and dons sunglasses, adding service on the adjacent Rose Garden Terrace. Brimming with blooms and overlooking the overlooking Norman B. Leventhal Park, it offers the same menu and prime people watching at this time of year.
Travel Daily News
10-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Forbes Travel Guide unveils 2025 Hotel Star Bars list
Forbes Travel Guide names 58 hotel bars as 2025 Star Bars, honoring global excellence in service, ambiance, and innovative cocktail craftsmanship. ATLANTA – Forbes Travel Guide ('FTG'), the global authority on luxury hospitality, announced its 2025 Hotel Star Bars, spotlighting the world's 58 most exceptional hotel bars. Each was verified through exacting in-person inspections, celebrating cocktail artistry, elevated service and exceptional guest experiences. Spanning 19 countries, the list reflects FTG's legacy of trusted, anonymous evaluations. Star Bars were selected using data from FTG's 2024 and 2025 Star Ratings, with inspectors visiting incognito to assess service, ambiance and beverage quality across more than 1,500 hotels worldwide. The choice of 58 winners is a tribute to FTG's founding as Mobil Travel Guide in 1958. 'This list represents the pinnacle of hotel bar excellence,' said Hermann Elger, CEO of FTG. 'Our in-person inspections provide unmatched insight, and the 2025 Star Bars are shining examples of luxury, creativity and impeccable hospitality.' The 58 honorees include storied icons and rising stars. London tallied the most accolades with seven bars, followed by Paris with five and Dubai at four. Independent hotels earned the most accolades, with nine winners, while Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts followed closely with eight. The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts each had five bars named. Among the standout winners: Le Bar Américain at Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, a 1930s-era jazz favorite beloved by legends like Josephine Baker and Lady Gaga. a 1930s-era jazz favorite beloved by legends like Josephine Baker and Lady Gaga. BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, blending Buenos Aires flair with agave-forward cocktails. blending Buenos Aires flair with agave-forward cocktails. Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London, where cocktails are inspired by the art of British caricaturist Gerald Scarfe. where cocktails are inspired by the art of British caricaturist Gerald Scarfe. Library by the Sea at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa in Grand Cayman, reimagining classic literature through mixology. 'These awards highlight sophisticated ambiance, elevated service, artfully curated wine lists, and cocktails that are skillfully crafted and creatively presented,' said Bastien Gardrat, Forbes Travel Guide's Global Spirits Ambassador. 'These elements come together to create an unforgettable hotel bar experience.' The 2025 Hotel Star Bars winners' specialty cocktails and spirits will be showcased at the Spirits Lab at Le Logis, Forbes Travel Guide's center for excellence in Cognac, France, for visitors to enjoy.
Forbes
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Forbes Travel Guide's Best Hotel Bars For 2025
Hotel bars have become destinations in their own right. The finest examples are familiar yet transporting, offering a welcome respite for weary travelers, a launching pad for an exciting night out or the elegance of a perfectly crafted cocktail. The inaugural Forbes Travel Guide Star Bars for 2025 honors the world's most exceptional hotel bar experiences. A timeless icon such as Monaco's Le Bar Américain at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo demonstrates daily why it's endured since the 1930s, with its jazzy ambiance and nightly music drawing illustrious fans from Josephine Baker to Lady Gaga. Then there are new favorites such as the BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River's, which connects Asia with North and South America, showcasing Mexico-inspired drinks in a dazzling Art Nouveau space that evokes Buenos Aires. The inaugural list also includes sky bars—including SkyHigh on the 60th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia and the Lounge & Bar on the 102nd floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong—and old school drinking dens, like Rosewood London's Scarfes Bar, which draws from English caricaturist Gerald Scarfe's famous works, and Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa's Library by the Sea, a Grand Cayman hot spot that interprets literary works through creative cocktails. Forbes Travel Guide recognized 58 bars this year to celebrate its 1958 founding as Mobil Travel Guide. And FTG's expert, incognito inspectors visited each one, sampling cocktails on multiple visits. The winners were determined by data collected as part of FTG's 2024 and 2025 Star Ratings, based on several exacting standards. The top bars achieved the highest scores for their beverage program and presentation, as well as providing seamless service and an exceptional guest experience. FTG also focused on publicly accessible hotel bars. London rang up the most accolades with seven bars, followed by Paris with five and Dubai at four. When it comes to brands, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts earned eight spots, and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company tied with five winners each. 'These awards highlight sophisticated ambiance, elevated service, artfully curated wine lists and cocktails that are skillfully crafted and creatively presented," says Bastien Gardrat, Forbes Travel Guide's Global Spirits Ambassador. 'These are elements that come together to create an unforgettable hotel bar experience.' Here are the Star Bars for 2025 The Study at Four Seasons Hotel, Macao VIRTÙ at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi Wing Lei Bar at Wynn Palace, Macau
