When the dress code is 'fabulous,' these bars offer the ideal backdrop for your celebrations.
It's always nice to get dressed up for a night out – at Christmas or otherwise – especially when it's for an elegant bar that's befitting of your effort. We're talking a strict dress code that's adhered to without question by a smart crowd, gorgeous drinks that are served up in sparkling glassware and stylish interiors dripping in decadence. Someone putting on a live performance doesn't go amiss, either – whether a smooth operator tinkling the ivories or a soulful songstress taking the stage. Here, we round-up the best drinking hubs for playing dress up, from hotel bars to cocktail parlours – just add glad rags.
Darkside, Hong Kong
@darksidebar
Plush velvet, Art Deco panelling, Murano glass, flattering uplighting, glossy black bar and low seating set a sexy scene for dressing up at DarkSide. Secreted away in the Rosewood Hong Kong – recently crowned The World's Best Hotel 2025 – this clandestine jazz bar and cocktail parlour (ranked No.17 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) attracts a suitably stylish crowd of hotel guests and music lovers, as well as secretive couples on hush-hush dates or business folk cheersing to done deals. As the name suggests, there's a focus on dark aged spirits, vintage cigars and classic cocktails such as the Bloody Maria (a tequila and mezcal take on the breakfast favourite), while there's an extensive collection of fine rum, whisky and calvados. But what to wear? Crisp shirts with smart jackets for gents and elegant dresses with statement jewels for ladies, please.
Overstory, NYC
@overstory
There's something about a sky-high bar that makes you want to put on an equally sky-high pair of heels – or similarly elevated suit – and take Manhattan. Overstory, the cocktail bar found on the 64th floor of a New York skyscraper, is a case in point. Drink up the spectacular 360-degree views from the wraparound terrace while soaking up the cocktails: they're inspired by the city itself, from Cold Snap (gin, dry vermouth, snap pea, peach, plum) to Easy Money (vodka, coconut, yuzu, lime leaf, soda) and Pink Tuxedo (vodka, cherry blossom, vermouth, strawberry, absinthe). Take your style cues from the latter – think Financial District tailoring with a colourful twist – and you'll fit right in with the Jazz Age-inspired surroundings.
BKK Social Club, Bangkok
@bkksocialclub
The glamorous surroundings of BKK Social Club, the destination bar on the Chao Phraya River at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, has the beautiful people flocking in their droves. The soaring arches, a towering, mirrored back bar, leather booths and tumbling greenery set an appropriately five-star backdrop to the reassuringly smart drinks. The menu is inspired by Latin America – predominantly Mexico – with a spin on a michelada, a Frida Kahlo-inspired sour and the Carretera: mezcal, pineapple Campari, coffee vermouth and olive saline. The bar staff, dressed in pristine white jackets, is as well-dressed as the crowd: think floaty cocktail dresses, Chanel bags, tailored suits and heirloom Rolex watches.
Atlas, Singapore
@atlasbarsg
Housed on the ground floor of what's known locally as 'the Gotham city building', such is its sense of occasion, Atlas is a Jazz Age-inspired gin bar and lobby complete with a 15-metre tower of its namesake spirit. The extravagance doesn't stop there with equally-glamorous 45-foot-high ceilings featuring hand-painted murals, burgundy leather booths wrapped around sleek oval tables and an Art Deco-style bar as the crowning glory. Gin is the thing on the menu so make yours the signature Atlas Martini, a rocket-fuel concoction of gin, ambrato vermouth, orange bitters and champagne vinegar. They call their dress code 'smart casual' but don't be fooled: a dinner jacket or dazzling gown wouldn't look out of place amongst the who's-who of high Singaporean society.
Virtù, Tokyo
@virtutokyo
Stepping into Virtù at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi is like being transported into the roaring '20s with its Art Deco-inspired interior, 10-metre communal table and floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views from the 29th floor. Aesthetics aside, there's serious substance in the Paris-meets-Tokyo cocktail menu overseen by head bartender Keith Motsu. Our pick is the Virtù Martini – combining Japanese gin and vodka with French vermouth and hinoki bitters – and the nearly-all Yuzu Nagi, made from yuzu gin, juice, liqueurs, bitters and cognac. Dress to impress in this season's take on bygone fashion: think silky flapper girl-style slips for women and high-waisted trousers with single-breasted jackets for men.
Library Bar, Toronto
@librarybartoronto
Once frequented by legends such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, Library Bar at Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto may have gone through a few iterations since those heady days, but it's lost none of its old-world charm. The recently-refurbished interiors still reference its Art Deco heyday – from fluid marbles to rich leathers and plush velvets – while the cocktail menu serves up cult favourites from over the years. A must-order is the world-famous Birdbath Martini made with Ontario gin or vodka, presented tableside for a touch of theatre. Your attire? Red-carpet robes befitting of the guests that used to pour in from the hotel's ballroom, of course.
Sastrería Martinez, Lima
@sastreriamartinezlima
The fact that you need to walk through a tailor shop to access this Prohibition-inspired drinking den tells you everything you need to know about the dress code: sharp for gents and structured for ladies. Cloaked in darkness, it comes with industrial touches such as exposed brick and concrete walls softened by homely details such as herringbone flooring and leather couches. The tables and booths are suitably posey – after all, if you're dressed up, you might as well let everyone see – while the cocktail bar glows a golden hue that attracts hawks like a moth to the flame. Classic drinks join fresh concoctions where regional liqueurs and distillates are given bold and inventive starring roles. If in doubt, ask debonair owner Diego Maceda – always immaculate in pinstripes – what his poison is.
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