Have a Holiday Cocktail at These 10 Cozy Hotel Bars

The Pink Palace, as the celebrity-favorite Beverly Hills Hotel is called, transforms into a winter wonderland with life-size nutcrackers, glam wreaths, and glittery garlands. Head for the Polo Lounge, which goes all out with a changing menu of holiday treats like the 12 Days of Soufflés (ranging from peppermint chocolate chip to candy cane to maple pecan). Try that with a seasonal sip—perhaps the Fig Sidecar, in which black mission figs are infused with Rémy Martin 1738 cognac and homemade spiced brown sugar—and you’ll be in holiday heaven.

A speakeasy vibe permeates this wood-paneled bar, inspired by Dutch and English bars of the 1920s. Any time of year, the Gin Parlour seduces with historic charm (and a menu of 88 premium gins), but during the holiday season it takes on a magical chic with trees, wreaths, and garlands. Order an Apple Gin Cider—a festive take on the classic, with Old Tom gin, fresh apple cider, rooftop honey, lime juice, star anise, and cinnamon, served hot or cold—and take it all in.

In the famous Bleau Bar’s neon violet-and-aqua space overlooking the pellucid pool, don’t be surprised if that’s Maria Sharapova or Sean Combs swirling their drink next to you. Bleau Bar has long been a favorite watering hole for Miami’s social scene, even before a latter-day renovation established its neo-retro flair. And while it may not seem like Christmas in this subtropical realm (despite the decorated crystal tree dominating the space), why not order a spiced egg nog that will quickly get you in the mood?

On a cold winter’s evening, the intimate Bar at the Peninsula is the place to cozy up, with its warm red walls and flickering fireplace, “Santa Baby” trilling in the background. Order the My Favorite Sweater cocktail, an elevated spiced cider mixing Courvoisier VSOP cognac, Dry Sack sherry, Giffard ginger liqueur, lemon juice, orange marmalade, and Angostura bitters, and you won’t want to leave your easy chair until spring.

The historic Peabody Memphis’ swank Lobby Bar feels every bit like Memphis’ living room, with plush armchairs and sofas softening the marble floors and regal columns. Indeed, this is the place to see and be seen, as the glitterati flock here for a tipple. Christmas adds a special touch, with a 30-foot tree (spangled with 20,000 lights), a giant gingerbread display, and holiday caroling. In this perfect setting, try one of the bartender’s specialty martinis, perhaps Jack’s Gingerbread, derived from ginger liqueur, lemon juice, and, of course, Jack Daniel’s.

As you head for the Round Robin & Scotch Bar in this storied hotel, check out the lobby Christmas tree. Decorated with the entire line of White House Christmas ornaments, it’s just one example of the hotel’s over-the-top, extravagant decorations. Many a politician (and no doubt a president or two) has ordered the signature mint julep at the wood-and-leather Round Robin Bar, introduced by U.S. Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky in the early 1800s. But since it’s Christmas, try the Jingle Bell Julep, a cheery twist on the southern classic that’s made with Absolut Elyx, muddled mint, seasonal berries, triple sec, and peppermint schnapps. It’s a veritable joy to the world.

Kids young and old flock to this historic hotel atop Nob Hill to admire the completely edible, two-story gingerbread house in the lobby, flamboyantly adorned with 10,250 pieces of gingerbread, 3,300 pounds of royal icing, and 1,650 pounds of candy (to be exact). While the kids write letters to Santa in the North Pole nook, duck off to the Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar for a flute of something merry and bright.

White and birch trees alit with more than 112,000 sparkly lights and festively dressed Christmas trees adorn the block-long, gilded lobby of this majestic hotel. Here you’ll find the nearly ten-foot-tall “Santa’s NOLA Shotgun House,” made entirely of gingerbread, as well as plenty of teddy bears (the hotel is named for Theodore Roosevelt, who inspired the name for teddy bears everywhere). The Sazerac Bar is believed to have created the first mixed drink, somewhere in the 1920s—so of course you should pull up a chair and order a seasonal grog—try the Santa’s Candy Cane, a liquid candy cane featuring Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps, crème de cacao, cream, raspberry swirl, and, of course, candy cane.

The Adobe Bar, part of the Historic Taos Inn, embraces the holiday season with decorations to the hilt, live Christmas tunes, and farolitos, glowing paper lanterns traditional to the area. Housed in a historic adobe dwelling, the bar clusters around a central plaza and is one of the town’s favorite hangouts. Killer margaritas and Yuletide Salsa Nights add a Southwestern twist to the traditional fa-la-la.

The childlike magic of the season greets you in the Belmond’s gracious lobby, with a tiny version of its luxury Venice Simplon–Orient Express line trundling over more than 300 feet of track through a mini European-style winter wonderland. For adults with a more jaded view of the season, head to the adjacent Thoroughbred Club, where the window wreaths, a beribboned garland over the glowing fireplace, and the signature seasonal drink, the Conductor (a bewitching blend of bourbon and hoodoo chicory liqueur, honey-infused with vanilla bean and cinnamon, and a rim of sugar), are guaranteed to revive some good old-fashioned holiday cheer.