The Hunt for the Tiniest, Hidden Hotel Bars
Adrian GautThe Broken Shaker at Freehand Miami
The Broken Shaker is about the size of a backyard shed, and lined with retro tropical decor and a slightly foreboding altar of Santeria candles. If claustrophobia kicks in, there’s a large outdoor patio beyond the bar where people can take their hand-crafted cocktails and join in a laid-back scene, which is a nice antidote to Miami’s over-the-top party spots.
Bartini at W Montreal
With just six seats at the bar and room for maybe four more people standing, Bartini is not much bigger than a hotel bathroom, so it’s no surprise that it’s earned the unusual distinction of the city’s smallest bar. While the W has two other larger, bars on site, Bartini is a sweet little spot to sip champagne or specialty martinis before hitting the town.
Room Mate Grace, New York City
In the middle of frenetic Times Square, the futuristically-styled Room Mate Grace hotel boasts two teeny tiny bars. One is at the equally small swimming pool in the hotel's common area; the other is on the drier side of the pool. Both the swim-up bar and the dry bar can only accommodate a handful of people at a time, which is not something you can often say about Times Square.
The Library at The Nines Hotel, Portland, Oregon
Tucked off to the side of the atrium in a former department store-turned-hotel, The Library is a cozy cabin of a room sporting tufted dark leather couches and a custom pool table, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with books provided by local insitution Powell’s. Cocktails are served all day long, starting from 6:30 a.m.
White Barn Inn Bar
This intimate 26-room Relais & Chateaux hotel in Kennebunkport, Maine, has a rustically elegant bar with only enough space for 10 guests. Fashioned from two restored barns dating from the 1820s, the bar and its adjacent restaurant have lofty beam ceilings, old farm tools on the walls, candle-lit tables, and a floor-to-ceiling picture window. The decor may be full of nods to the past, but the bar slings modern cocktails too (sometimes, they even cost $40,000).
Lantern’s Keep at the Iroquois Hotel
A stately but simple room in the back of the Iroquois Hotel just off of Times Square, Lantern’s Keep channels the secret speakeasies of the Prohibition era. Just 25 guests can fit in the bar, and it’s only open for business when the lantern outside the room is lit (usually Monday through Saturday in the evenings.) The bartenders don’t just mix drinks here: they also offer history lessons on classic cocktail techniques.
Frank’s Bar at Hotel Arts Barcelona
The Hotel Arts Barcelona is the ultimate meeting place for architecture and design buffs to gather, as the intimate lounge overlooks Frank Gehry’s iconic “Peix” structure. In the middle of the mod, jewel-toned room, a fireplace burns on chilly evenings. The signature cocktail served here is the Bertita Margarita, named for Frank’s wife.
The Writers Bar at Raffles Singapore
After taking in the grandiose lobby at this classic luxury hotel, step off to the side into the Writers Bar, an homage to the literary icons who have either stayed there or written about the hotel, including Rudyard Kipling and Noel Coward. The bar only seats four and there are just a handful of other seats in the tiny room, but the drinks menu provides plenty of ways to get over writer’s block. A suggestion: start with the Singapore Sling, which was invented here.
Garden Room at The Lanesborough
This walk-in cigar humidor with an astonishing collection of Cuban and pre-Castro cigars is hidden away at the back of the newly renovated Lanesborough Hotel in London’s posh Knightsbridge neighborhood. Yes, technically it’s located outside (due to London’s smoking laws) but thanks to a high-tech heating system and roaring fires, guests can enjoy the lounge and its extensive bar collection (including a rare cognac from 1770) all year round. Pashminas are provided in the winter months, too.
Piano Bar at Hotel Valadier, Rome
In the shadow of the opulent Hotel Russie and the Eternal City’s Piazza del Popolo is the unassuming Hotel Valadier. Its teeny-tiny piano bar off the lobby features classical furniture and eccentric Art Deco fixtures. Try to pop in on a Saturday night when the music goes off. (That is, if you can get in.)