"Closing time: 1am Tuesday to Saturday Velvet is a fancy cocktail bar hidden down a hallway in the Strand’s Corinthia hotel that operates as London’s most glamorous advert for red velvet draping. Expect live jazz, polished servers who still have a sense of humour, and inventive cocktails that are so clever they could probably file their own taxes. Sincere apologies to your circadian rhythm, but the absurdly smart coffee-infused Negroni svegliato is a must-order." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley