Our selection of the best Holborn cocktail bars

Scarfes Bar is a unique blend of sophistication and creativity, taking its name from the renowned British artist and caricaturist, Gerald Scarfe, whose artwork and influence can be seen throughout.

This Holborn cocktail bar features a beautiful wood-burning fireplace, a wide variety of velvet armchairs and over 1,000 antique hand-picked books — it doesn’t get any cosier.

Scarfes’s innovative cocktail menu has a music theme to it — quite fitting since they have live music six nights a week. The menu features 10 of its most popular cocktails from the past decade and 10 new creations. Our favourites have to be the Zingy Stardust from the “Greatest Hits” selection and the Silk Sonic from the “New Releases.”

Located in the Rosewood Hotel, this award-winning bar is available for private hire daily between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., ideal for private breakfasts and lunches.

The Gin Bar is a one-of-a-kind cocktail bar that is an expert in all things gin-related. It has the swish atmosphere of an old bank with high ceilings, columns throughout, black and white tiled flooring, and accented red leather upholstered seating.

This Holborn cocktail bar boasts the city’s largest collection with over 500 gins and 30 tonics. It has everything from well-known international brands to local distillers and all together there are over 14,000 possible gin and tonic pairings, proving that London’s love affair with gin is alive and kicking.

The Gin Bar is also known for its Pie Room, a private dining room that is skilled in making classic British pies and can seat up to 10 guests. We wouldn’t necessarily think to pair pies with gin, but we’ll try anything once.

The Glasshouse is a rooftop bar on the tenth floor of the NYX Hotel boasting wrap-around views of central London – the area of the city that loves a rooftop to take in the city skyline.

The ultra-modern design and statement neon artwork simply add to the posh ambience of this Holborn cocktail bar. It has a retractable ceiling, and everything from the walls to the ceiling is glass panels. It’s especially nice on sunny days when the roof rolls back to soak in the sun directly.

Sip on the Glasshouse Cadillac cocktail, one of our favourites, as you take Instagram-worthy pictures with the views or stare out into the London skyline and contemplate the universe — it’s totally up to you.

The Cocktail Club is hidden in the heart of the theatre district down the street from Holborn station, in – you guessed it – Shaftesbury Avenue. Open the red door and descend the stairs into a no-nonsense bar that’s all about amazing cocktails and a great night out.

It's got the vibe of a tattoo parlour with old-timey tattoo artwork on the walls and an overall grunge atmosphere. It's just the place to go for drinks to get the wild part of the night started after a civilised and cultured outing to a West End show.

The Cocktail Club’s Shaftesbury Avenue bar is also available for private hire with cocktails aplenty — tattooing not included — we’re joking, it only looks like a tattoo parlour.

Amano Rooftop Bar is a short walk from Holborn station, on the seventh floor of the Amano Hotel, and it is quite the bougie spot. The bar offers panoramic views of London as well as a roof terrace. Sit at the bar or step outside as you take in views of the city whilst enjoying tunes spun by the house DJ.

Its drinks are just as spectacular and unique as the view with an all-encompassing selection of cocktails, wines, rum, tequila, gin, vodka, and pretty much every drink under the sun. The bar and roof terrace are available for private hire with a total capacity of up to 124 guests, and with these views, you’ll have one hell of a party.

Sway Bar is steps from Holborn station and has five different rooms to take your fancy. Choose between the bar & kitchen, club room, cocktail lounge, and Sway’s two intimate spaces for your night out. The rooms have different aesthetics, but overall each is a trendy blend of modern and traditional elements with bright neon lighting because nothing says ‘cocktail bar’ like neon lights.

Sway has everything from bangin’ cocktails to wines to gin. You can’t go wrong with any of the classic cocktails, so be sure to get in for Happy Hour. Lastly, all five rooms in Sway Bar, as well as the entire venue, are available for private hire.