London's 6 best festive bars

Want to escape from the Christmas-shopping crowds? Or find London's ultimate Christmas tree? BarChick's London experts have uncovered the city's best bars where you can do just that and more

1. For ultimate chilling by the fire:

Rosewood Bar

Brand new and so beautiful, the Rosewood Hotel's bar is made for cosy, Christmas chill-out drinks. Bag the sofas by the fire and order their Diplomatic Immunity, it's made with rum, ginger liqueur and spices. It's like Christmas in a glass and the perfect way to sneak in a bit of relaxation in the middle of the silly season.

2. To get started on the festive feasting:

Hawksmoor Spitalfields

It just isn’t Christmas without the Hawksmoor Christmas burger. This beauty has all the Christmas dinner goodness, trimmings and all, remade in to burger form. So that’d be a juicy piece of buttermilk fried turkey topped with a ginger pig sausage patty, crispy smoked bacon, sprout tops and spiced cranberry ketchup. Of course it’s served up with duck fat roast potatoes on the side and turkey gravy.

3. For major tree envy:

Bassoon Bar at the Corinthia

Well this one is edible. You heard us, head pastry chef at The Corinthia has made a 3-metre high tree covered in over 3,000 gingerbread cookies, chocolate baubles and edible sparkly holly leaves. As well as smelling amazing there are baskets of the good stuff under the tree for visitors to take away. Grab one of those and head up to The Bassoon Bar for even more Christmas glitz n' glam and of course killer cocktails to wash all the gingerbread down with.

4. To warm those cockles:

Pitt Cue

A tiny BBQ joint might not be the first place you think of at Christmas, but after one of Pitt Cue's Bourbon Hot Toddies you'll be singing jingle bells. Use it to wash down some of their beef brisket, and chill out before braving the Oxford Street pre-Christmas madness.

5. To spice up Christmas:

Dishoom

They’re keeping Christmas all Bombay-traditional over at Dishoom with an epic selection of Chai drinks on offer, all alcoholic of course. They’ve got Chai Eggnog, Naughty Chocolate Chai, Baileys Chai and Cognac Chai; choose your poison. If you’re all sweet-toothed out from the advent season they’re also serving warm Winter Bombay Pimm’s and the Desi Mulled Wine.

6. To escape the Christmas shopping:

Upstairs at Rules

Usually a quiet room reserved for serious drinkers, the bar in London's oldest restaurant doesn't hold back when it comes to their festive decorations at this time of year. Escape the Christmas shopping mania at Covent Garden and park yourself on one of the bar stools by the roaring fire. Both the drinks and the service are completely perfect, and so are the plates of Stilton they hand out for free. Did we mention how much we love Christmas?!