King Cole Bar (St. Regis New York)

The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis New York is one of America’s most storied hotel bars, anchored by Maxfield Parrish’s magnificent 1906 mural of Old King Cole. This is where the Bloody Mary was invented, and where New York’s elite have gathered for over a century. The champagne selection is outstanding — befitting the St. Regis legacy — and the formal, white-gloved service is a throwback to the golden age of hotel luxury. An utterly irreplaceable piece of New York’s social history.