The American Bar

The American Bar is so called because in the early 1930s the West End hotels started to cater for the ever-growing American market crossing the Atlantic aboard the multitude of ocean-going liners, long before the 747 was ever thought possible. The intrepid travellers from North America brought with them such exotic drinks as Manhattans, Martinis, Sidecars, The Vanderbilt Cocktail and the Waldorf. Prior to this the most adventurous cocktail an Englishman would drink was probably a Pink Gin or a Whisky and Soda. Every West End hotel then named their bar "The American Bar" in order to show that they catered for the American market. Over the years most hotels have renamed their bars and only The Stafford, The Savoy and The Connaught have kept the name The American Bar.