Nothing says “welcome” like a good hotel bar. I certainly found that to be the case at the three Doyle hotels (www.doylecollection.com) in London. (That’s the Bloomsbury Club Bar above.) The family-owned collection launched in Dublin in 1964 and made its first foray into the British capital twenty years later.

The Marylebone

The Marylebone (47 Welbeck Street, +44 20 7486 6600) was the first Doyle property in London, but a recent renovation has given it the most contemporary design of the three hotels. The clean lines and bright, warm colors strike a perfect balance between modern style and good old-fashioned comfort. The Marylebone’s 108 Bar has an entrance right off the sidewalk. It’s just a short walk from Marylebone High Street, the main shopping drag of this stylish urban village. With a long, curving bar, lots of comfortable seating, big windows, 108 Bar feels like a rather fancy version of a proper Irish local.

This being London, however, the mixologists are immersed in the city’s cocktail culture. Engji Shana (above) mixed me The Marylebone, the hotel’s signature champagne cocktail. It’s a very modern twist in the Chambord Kir Royale.

THE MARYLEBONE

20ml vodka infused with elderflower
90ml champagne
10ml Chambord
raspberries
flower

Pour vodka into champagne flute. Float champagne on top by drizzling down the twists of a bar spoon. Add Chambord. Garnish with raspberries and a flower.

The Bloomsbury

By contrast, the lower level Bloomsbury Club Bar at the Bloomsbury Hotel (16-22 Great Russell Street, +44 20 7347 1000) is dark and seductive. It’s a far cry from the building’s early beginnings as the YWCA Central Club, with 86 bedrooms for young ladies, a concert hall, library, two restaurants, and a gymnasium.

The Central Club was formally opened in 1932 by the Duchess of York, the late Queen Elizabeth (the current queen’s mother). Described as the Club’s Patron, she returned to celebrate the Golden Jubilee in 1982. The naming of the bar recalls the building’s early years. Mixologist Brian Calleja (below) has a soft spot for the old fashioned Gin and Milk Punch, which he told me was the favorite of the Queen Mother. It is a traditional restorative dating back to the 18th century. The double straining is important because it removes the curds from the milk. Some mixologists also add lemon juice.

GIN AND MILK PUNCH

50ml Haymans Old Tom Gin
10 ml sugar syrup
50 ml full fat milk

Put ice in a cocktail shaker. Add ingredients and shake well. Double strain. Pour into a saucer cocktail glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

The Kensington

Classic Victorian townhouse architecture gives The Kensington hotel (109-113 Queen’s Gate, +44 20 7589 6300) a traditional, clubby feel. It’s just right after a day sampling the royal trappings of the neighborhood—from Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace (home of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge) to the Victoria & Albert Museum and Royal Albert Hall.

The K Bar nestles between the drawing rooms where breakfast and afternoon tea are served and the Town House restaurant. The space sets itself apart with wood-paneled walls, low lighting, and a smoky blue glass ceiling. It’s a place to settle in a for a drink and good conversation. Like The Marylebone, The Kensington has its own signature champagne cocktail. Mixologist Mantas Ignatavicius (below) served it to me.

THE KENSINGTON CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

sugar cube
rhubarb bitters
10 ml Calvados
Perrier Jouët Grand Brut

Place napkin over a champagne flute. Set sugar cube on napkin and drip bitters onto it until saturated. Drop cube onto bottom of glass and add Calvados. Top off with Perrier Jouët Grand Brut.