James Lohan is one half of the couple behind Mr & Mrs Smith. A serial entrepreneur, he began by founding London event company Atomic, moving on to co-found restaurant and members’ club the White House. In 2002, after meeting Tamara, he spotted a gap in the market for a trustworthy independent travel guide and turned his attention to boutique hotels. Since Mr & Mrs Smith’s first guidebook was published in 2003, Smith has grown from a labour of love to a multi-faceted boutique travel provider, with an online booking service, an expert 24-hour in-house travel team and a three-tiered travel club.

1. The Zetter Townhouse, 49-50 St John’s Square, Clerkenwell
If you’re looking for the ultimate London drinking den, it’s hard to beat the Zetter Townhouse and it’s inventive cocktail menu cooked up by master mixologist, Tony Conigliaro. Located on the ground floor of a buzzy Georgian townhouse in creative Clerkenwell, this homey hideaway is packed with offbeat charm.

2. Punch Room, London Edition, 10 Berners Street, Soho
This oak-panelled den is a pseudo-Victorian gentlemen’s club hidden behind reception at the London Edition – hotel impresario Ian Schrager’s latest London foray. As the name suggests, punch is the hero here and you can choose from 10 carefully crafted concoctions, all served by the glass or, if you’re really thirsty, by the bowl. FYI: this is a reservations only watering hole, so be sure to book.

3.Chiltern Firehouse, 1 Chiltern Street, Marylebone
André Balazs’ luxurious-but-louche city stay, the Firehouse is a siren call to cocktail-drinkers, dandy diners and lovers of London. The ravishingly revived red-brick fire station houses a Deco-twisted take on Victoriana, with a decadent sunken bar where you’ll regularly find a host of A-listers holding court. Great for people watching.

4. Ham Yard Hotel, 1 Ham Yard, Piccadilly
Kit Kemp creates wonders with her Firmdale properties and Ham Yard is no exception. The ground floor bar works as well for an afternoon aperol spritz as it does for a creative cocktail once the sun has set. There’s a classic light-filled conservatory towards the back with a surprisingly playful drinks list – they do a great Black Margarita with thyme fat-washed tequila… For a change of pace head to the downstairs bar or bowling alley for louder, retro-inspired fun.

5. American Bar at The Beaumont, Brown Hart Gardens, Mayfair
If you’re after experimental infusions and modish mixology, the American Bar at the Beaumont is not the place for you. This clubby space – all polished parquetry and leather banquettes – is specifically designed for sipping traditional tipples, specialising in bourbon and American whiskies, juleps, old fashioneds, daiquiris and the like.

6.Peg + Patriot at Town Hall Hotel & Apartments 8 Patriot Square, Bethnal Green
Stroll into the dimly lit Peg + Patriot bar in east London’s Bethnal Green and you’ll find a seasonal selection of clever cocktails. The menu plays fast and loose with flavours, offering a straight-up Dark and Stormy alongside some way-outside-the-box cocktails like the Marmite Martini (Marmite, vodka and olive), Pho Money Pho Problems (pho spirit, pak choi and lime-leaf syrup and lime) and the D.Groner sazerac (Beigel Bake salt-beef bagel, cognac, rye and bitters).

7. Claridge’s Bar at Claridge’s, Brook Street, Mayfair
Claridge’s Bar is exactly the polished, old-school affair you’d expect from one of London’s most iconic hotels. Classic cocktails and vintage champagnes are de rigueur, but I love the Chivas-, citrus- and mint-muddled Claridge’s Regal. There’s also a menu of decent bar snacks, including a daily-changing bento box. For a more intimate tipple, cosy up with a cognac by the marble horseshoe bar in the 1930s-themed fumoir – cocktails are served in Lalique crystal, no less.

8. High Road House 162-170 Chiswick High Road, Chiswick
The closest hotel bar to my own front door, this is the west London outpost of the irrepressible Soho House Group. High Road House is a private members club that’s also open to hotel guests. Don’t be mistaken, there’s no sense of exclusivity here – instead membership gives this bar a welcoming, home-like atmosphere, but you will need to know someone to get you in. Cocktails are given a playful twist, and the all-day dining menu features solid drinking accompaniments like meatballs, chipolatas and mac ‘n’ cheese.

9. Hubbard & Bell at the Hoxton, 199-206 High Holborn
A Brooklyn-inspired bar and grill in the heart of London serving hearty New York fare and booze-soaking bar snacks. Shrubs and daisies may sound like they belong in the garden but at Hubbard & Bell there’s something oddly tempting about trying these in liquid form – the Pimp’t Daiquiri with sugar snap pea and mint shrub, lemon thyme cordial and lime is surprisingly refreshing. There’s a strong selection of wines served by the glass for the less daring.

10. Scarfe’s Bar at Rosewood London, 252 High Holborn
A short skip down the road from Hubbard & Bell but world’s apart, Scarfe’s Bar is the beating heart of the Rosewood London hotel. The bar is named after renowned British artist and caricaturist Gerald Scarfe, whose works adorn the marble walls. Velvet armchairs, a roaring fire and thousands of antique books give Scarfes a distinct drawing-room feel and Scottish spirits are very much the order of the day – there are more than 200 single malts behind the bar.