The Fumoir Bar at Claridge's Gets a Makeover

Pull up a stool and enjoy a cocktail from the heyday of Art Deco at the Fumoir, in Claridge's.

Richard Booth

Off the labyrinthine lobby of Claridge's, in London, the newly redone Fumoir bar adds a touch of 1930s glamour to this showpiece Mayfair hotel. Distinct from the main bar, the shoebox-sized space opened in 2001 as a cigar bar called Claridge's Macanudo Fumoir.

After antismoking legislation was enacted, it became simply the Fumoir. The nook has long borne the hallmarks of the Jazz Age designers who outfitted the hotel: the era's master glassmaker, René Lalique, and designer Basil Ionides. For the hangout's latest incarnation, the hotel has supplemented the original etched mirrors with new Lalique-crystal panels and added sconces and a chandelier that are set against a dramatically ink-black gilt-stricken room. Lalique glassware complements the long list of fizz, swizzle, cup and julep cocktails.

The well-judged renditions of these classic drinks, and certainly the signature martinis, do ample justice to the scenery and are easily winning over the bright young things of today's London scene as well as hotel residents. Brook Street; 011-44-20-7629-8860; claridges.co.uk.