The Ambassador's Bloomsbury hotel near Euston is home to a small but perfectly formed bar.

The Venue
Number Twelve’s bar is light and airy, and a bit funky, with lots of light wood, glass and strategically placed tealights. It's open, and attached to the Number Twelve restaurant so doesn't feel quite like a destination bar in itself but more like an addition to your meal.

The Atmosphere
The clientele are mainly hotel guests and businesspeople, or diners awaiting a table in the restaurant. It doesn't get too busy, so it's pleasant for a quiet drink and conversation rather than a big night out. The staff are attentive, happy to wait on you at the table and help with any advice on the extensive cocktail menu, as well as bring endless bowls of Japanese crackers to munch on.

The Drink
There's an impressive list of cocktails for a hotel bar, including original concoctions as well as classics. They are divided into champagne cocktails, martini cocktails, short drinks, mocktails (non-alcoholic drinks), long drinks and after dinner drinks (dealing with the thick and sweet end of the liqueur market). The signature Number Twelve cocktail is a fresh treat, with muddled strawberries, Chambord, lime and champagne, and served with a sugar rim on the glass to add an extra bit of sweetness! A long cocktail called Hell Berry comes highly recommended by bar staff and was a mix of strawberries, raspberries, lime Chambord, Creme de Fraise de Bols, Absolut Kurrant vodka and lemonade.

The wine selection is a bit limited, with only three red and three white, all around the £20.00 mark. Spirits boast a lot more variety, however, with several options - six different brands of gin, for example. The beer selection is fairly average, including familiar names like Carlsberg, but the non-alcoholic section of the bar menu is far more impressive, including homemade fruit juices like French Pear Williams.

The Last Word
Although it might not be a destination bar, if you're in the area or visiting the very fine Number Twelve restaurant, the bar is definitely worth the visit for the cocktails alone.

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