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Hotels That Stock Minibars for Cocktail Enthusiasts

Hotels That Stock Minibars for Cocktail Enthusiasts

By Food & Wine

Updated July 06, 2017

Courtesy of The Surrey

We could easily write an angry treatise about why hotel minibars are terrible, but the issues are all related to two words: cost and quality. Spending $28 for a half bottle of so-so Chardonnay or shelling out 10 bucks for a sample size of Jack Daniel's are not the best ways to recover from the stress of travel. So we hunted down hotels that do in-room drinking right by providing guests with exceptional bottled cocktails, mixology sets and even in-room lessons. If you are serious about drinking while on the road, here are six places to check out.

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Gild Hall, New York City

Courtesy of Gild Hall, a Thompson Hotel

The boutique Wall Street-area hotel provides guests with a designer bar set that includes a mixing glass, strainer, muddler, mason shaker and coupe glasses, as well as high-quality mixers like Boylan Heritage Tonic. Those checking out can snag the $24 Carry-On Cocktail Kit for everything you need to make two old-fashioneds at 30,000 feet.

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Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco

Resident mixologist Priscilla Young preps bottled cocktails for every room like her Mocha-Chili Ourchata , a spicy, boozy horchata riff made with rum, almond milk, Ghiradelli chocolate and Thai chile. The Prychard’s Bouquet combines chamomile-infused vodka, mint, honey, agave and lemonade. At $13 a pop, they're not much more expensive than drinking at a good bar.

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The James Hotel, Chicago

The James Chicago

For cocktail enthusiasts who want to take the work into their own hands, The James provides an “in-room cocktail experience”: shaker, strainer, fresh citrus, mixers and a book of cocktail recipes.

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The Ace Hotel, Los Angeles

Laure Joliet

Bottled gin martinis, Manhattans and Negronis are all available in-room at this hip hotel pioneer.

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The Mondrian, London

Simon Watson

The minibar here includes a hangover kit filled with vitamins, energy shots and Alka-Seltzer to help offset the bottled drinks on offer, including a frosted martini made with both floral and citrus bitters and the Champagne-spiked Bright Eyed Collins.

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The Surrey, New York City

Courtesy of The Surrey

In addition to an expert bar stocked with bottles like Brooklyn-made Due North Rum to Baby Bourbon Whiskey from New York's Hudson Valley, The Surrey can send up in-room mixologists to make drinks for up to five people. And pay attention, because they’ll leave you enough fresh fruit, herbs and liquid sustenance to make the next round yourself.

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