Is there anything finer than to enjoy a well-made drink in convivial surroundings with like-minded folk?
Absolutely not, says food critic and author Richard Ehrlich, who dispatched his expert panel to seek out top watering-holes on several continents.
Remember, somewhere in the world it's always opening time...
Best bars in London: The American Bar, Savoy Hotel, London WC2; Duke's Bar, Duke's Hotel, London SW1; Trader Vic's Hilton Hotel, London W1; The Library, Lanesborough Hotel, London SW1; Tsar's Bar, Langham Place Hilton, London W1; LAB, Soho, London W1; Match and Match 2, London EC1 and W1; Alphabet, Beak St, London W1; Dick's Bar, Atlantic Bar & Grill, London W1; La Perla, Covent Garden, London WC2.
Best bars in New York: 21 Club, 52nd St; The Blue Bar, Algonquin Hotel; Oak Bar, The Plaza; Asia De Cuba, Morgans Hotel; Bemelmans Bar, The Carlyle; Blackbird; Bubble Lounge, TriBeCa; Cub Room, SoHo; Peacock Alley, Waldorf Astoria.
Best bars in Paris: Bar Du Crillon, 8th arrondissement; Cafe Charbon, 11th arrondissement; La Closerie Des Lilas, 6th arrondissement; Hemingway Bar, 1st arrondissement; Les Deux Magots, 6th arrondissement; China Club, 12th arrondissement; Le Fumoir, 1st arrondissement; Willi's Wine Bar, 1st arrondissement; Harry's Bar, 2nd arrondissement; Au General Lafayette, 9th arrondissement.
Best bars points east: Bamboo Bar, Hotel Oriental, Bangkok; Cellar Bar, Wierzynek Restaurant, Krakow; Cipriani Bars, the Cipriani, Venice; Column Bar, Hotel Bristol, Warsaw; Greendoor Bar, Berlin; Harry's Bar, Venice; Long Island Resort, Koh Samui, Thailand; Chowringhee Bar, the Oberoi, Calcutta; Writer's Bar, Raffles Hotel, Singapore; Mojo, Leeds.
Best bars points west: Coq D'Or Restaurant, Drake Hotel, Chicago; Grill 23 and Bar, Back Bay, Boston; Les Deux Fontaines, Ocean Front Hotel, Miami Beach; Compass Rose, St Francis Hotel, San Francisco; Zebra Lounge, Chicago; Left at Albuquerque, Union St, San Francisco; Chateau Marmont, Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles; Hurricane Bar, the Fairmont, San Francisco; the Seelbach, Louisville, Kentucky; Top of the Mark, Mark Hopkins; Inter-Continental, San Francisco.
The panel:
* Dick Bradsell, one of Britain's foremost cocktail bartenders, is overseeing operations at Match and Match 2.
