The Best Expensive Bars Worth Every Penny

No menu. No sign outside. You tell the bartender what you're in the mood for — spirit, flavour profile, level of sweetness — and they build a cocktail for you on the spot. The results are almost always better than anything you'd have ordered from a printed list. Attaboy operates the ghost of Milk and Honey's space and carries on its philosophy. Worth every dollar of the above-average tab.

Order: Tell them what you like — the bespoke process is the entire point

Death and Company has been on the shortlist of the world's best cocktail bars for over a decade and it has never coasted on that reputation. The menu rotates constantly; the bartenders are technically precise and personable without being theatrical. The room is dark, intimate and loud enough to be comfortable. Prices are high for Manhattan but the quality is consistent.

Order: Anything from the current seasonal menu — the R&D here is genuinely exceptional

The Connaught Bar has held the World's Best Bar title and the reason is simple: Agostino Perrone and his team have created a bar that feels entirely original while being rooted in the traditions of great hotel bartending. The Connaught Martini — prepared tableside from a vintage trolley — is one of the most considered cocktail experiences in the world. The room is small, the waiting list real, and the price exactly what it should be.

Order: The Connaught Martini — tableside preparation, personalised gin selection, bitters chosen for you

Little Red Door runs a cocktail menu built around themes and concepts rather than standard categories. Previous editions have explored fermentation, terroir and the science of digestion. The current menu is equally demanding and equally rewarding. The space is small and neighbourhood in feel despite the international reputation. Paris prices, not London prices — which makes it better value than it deserves to be.

Order: The most conceptually challenging item on the current menu — it will reward the effort

Himkok operates its own micro-distillery on site and builds its cocktail programme almost entirely around spirits made in the building. The aquavit-based drinks are unlike anything you will find elsewhere — sharp, herb-forward and often unexpectedly delicate. Oslo prices are significant by any standard, but Himkok is the rare bar where the experience matches the cost at every level.

Order: Aquavit-based house cocktail — the in-house spirit is the reason to be here

Hidetsugu Ueno is widely considered one of the finest bartenders alive and Bar High Five is his room. The bar sits eight guests at a polished counter where you watch every drink made with a precision that borders on the ritual. The whisky selection is extraordinary; the cocktail technique is classical and flawless. Tokyo whisky prices are significant, but this is a bar experience with no equivalent anywhere.

Order: A classic cocktail — the Martini or Old Fashioned made here will recalibrate your standards permanently

Built on a Hemingway theme with none of the tackiness that suggests, The Old Man has been one of Asia's Best Bars for several consecutive years. The drinks are precise and often playful without being clever for its own sake. The Cuban-ish inspiration runs through the rum programme, which is among the best assembled in Hong Kong. The bill is high but reasonable by the city's hotel bar standards.

Order: A rum-forward cocktail from the seasonal menu — the rum selection alone is worth the visit

Jigger and Pony built its reputation on rigorous execution of classic cocktails and has evolved into something more ambitious without losing that foundation. The Singapore Sling they serve is the best version in the city by some distance — stripped of the theatrical nonsense the Raffles version adds and focused on balance and flavour. The space is large enough to accommodate walk-ins most evenings.

Order: A classic cocktail from the permanent menu — the execution is the story here