London: Top Speakeasies in London

A prohibition-style basement bar on City Road with live jazz, swing, blues and funk performances every night from 21:00. The cocktail menu draws on pre-prohibition, prohibition and post-war classics, served in vintage vessels. Nightjar holds the largest absinthe collection in the UK and stocks 19th-century spirits. It has featured multiple times in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings.

Shoreditch cocktail bar on Rivington Street opened in 2008, with three rooms including the hidden Jubjub bar accessed through a mirrored wardrobe in the back lounge. The name comes from Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. Cocktails are presented in elaborate vessels, and weekend DJ sets push the bar towards a later party vibe. It has been listed among the World's 50 Best Bars repeatedly.

A 1940s air-raid-shelter-themed bar concealed beneath Kingly Court in Soho. Guests descend old wooden escalators to find tiled tube platforms, a life-size carriage and period lighting. Scoundrel staff perform in character. Cocktails are served in hip flasks, vintage milk bottles and tins. The Kingly Court Herald cocktail list features names like Winston Churchill and Vera Lynn.

A Chinatown speakeasy on Gerrard Street, concealed behind an unmarked jade door. The 1920s Shanghai-inspired townhouse spans two floors with three distinct bars: the Apothecary, the Academy and the hidden Peony, accessed through a red curtain. Cocktails draw on Chinese ingredients, served alongside dim sum, Cantonese pork buns and tea. Shortlisted for the World's 50 Best Bars 2013.

A 1920s Prohibition-themed basement cocktail bar on Earls Court Road, opened in 2012. Guests ring a bell, descend stairs and consult a 'detective' in a Raymond Chandler-style office before a bookcase opens to reveal the bar. A modern American smokehouse menu covers pulled pork, brisket and mac and cheese. Live jazz, swing and blues run Thursday to Saturday evenings.

A basement cocktail bar on Wentworth Street in Spitalfields, opened in January 2014 inside the former stockroom of an adjoining suit tailor. Low ceilings, bare brick, exposed rafters and a reclaimed wood bar built from old cloth-cutting tables set the tone. The soundtrack runs on Northern Soul and vintage rock and roll. Cocktails are classically inspired with a regularly changing menu.

A 55-seat basement cocktail bar on Greek Street, accessed through a bookcase at the back of Milroy's, Soho's whisky shop dating to 1964. The Vault pairs candlelit speakeasy decor with a menu focused on whisky cocktails, using house-made bitters. A smaller private 'barrel' room sits within the main bar. The Soho site has undergone recent refurbishment as part of 3 Greek Street.