“After-work drinks should be enforced by HR Departments looking to ease stress amongst employees.”

Searching for some of the best London spots for after-work drinks? Depending on your location, mood, the weather and your bank balance, my pick of the city's post-work drinking haunts will point you in the right direction for every occasion. 

NOTTING HILL
The Electric Brasserie  is a hugely popular Portobello Road venue, which is always buzzing with a convivial atmosphere: a safe bet whatever the occasion. Beach Blanket Babylon occupies a prominent position in an old Georgian Mansion on Ledbury Road. The bar is home to an extensive cocktail list and offers a vibrant setting to a wile away an evening. Montgomery Place offers great cocktails and service in comfortable and relaxed surroundings, whereas over the road at E&O, the bar continues to pack in a loyal crowd who go for great bar food, cocktails and the sophisticated, elegant surroundings. Negozia Classica is a rustic, atmospheric and intimate wine bar and store offering regional specialities from Europe and Italy, and No. 92 in Notting Hill Brasserie offers live jazz every evening and an eclectic mix of cocktails that encompass the modern and the more traditional; a new, intimate addition to the Notting Hill scene.

MAYFAIR
Whether you love cocktails or you simply fancy drinking late in sophisticated surroundings, Mayfair bars are hard to beat for stylish looks and great service. Situated on the first floor of Hush is an informal Cocktail Lounge - the ideal spot for relaxed drinks, catching up with friends or a leisurely aperitif before dining. There is also a hidden booth for close groups. Over the cobbled street is Mews of Mayfair where their cocktail bar offers deep leather sofas, Queen Anne chairs and chandeliers to welcome in the post-work drinkers. The Donavan Bar in Brown's Hotel offers cocktails and live jazz. Their drinks list includes their signature cocktail the ‘Box Brownie’ and award-winning cocktail 'The Space Race'. The Connaught Bar offers the finest traditional cocktails with innovative twists, and is amongst the most exclusive and sophisticated bars in town. And The Running Horse is where you will find drinkers over-spilling the pavement trying to forget the stresses of the day.

SOHO/CENTRAL
Purl is a hugely popular and revolutionary cocktail bar that combines elements of Victorian Gin Palaces, prohibition Speakeasies and forward thinking cocktail technology. Gordon's wine bar offers schooners of sherry, beakers of port, tumblers of wine, dusty bottles and barrels in candlelit caverns; a rustic and intimate great date place. Shochu Lounge is the subterranean, stylish lounge bar beneath ever-popular, Roka. Their extensive cocktails are expertly made using fruit liqueurs based on distilled Japanese spirits. Kettners serves fresh, contemporary brasserie food and exquisite cocktails and Champagnes from their iconic Champagne bar. It's perfect for a post-work or pre-theatre sophisticated drink, as is nearby QV Bar. And set below the bustling street, Frevd cafe-bar boasts an impressive selection of house wines, cask ales and innovative cocktails to a relaxed crowd of cocktail-lovers.

EAST/NORTH
At Favela Chic one could be forgiven for thinking they were in Paris or Rio. Adhering to its name, this bar serves chic, contemporary cocktails from its ever-buzzing bar. Public House is slightly set apart from the Upper Street hubbub but serving good food and imaginative cocktails it is not to be missed. The Hoxton Grill offers comfortable banquette seating and outdoor space to ensure that this relaxed Shoreditch venue is the perfect destination to meet and eat in a relaxed atmosphere. Vinoteca is steadily building its reputation as one of London's most exciting Wine Bars and Shops, pulling a loyal crowd and 69 Colebrooke Row, with world renowned bartenders, promises an experience as well as exquisite cocktails. 

CHELSEA/KENSINGTON
The crowd that assembles every evening at The Botanist speaks for itself. The Phene fuses the home comforts of a traditional Chelsea townhouse with a sophisticated interior making it a warm and welcoming spot to unwind and relax throughout the day and into the evening. Not far away, The Orange, with an informal weathered interior, is a fun and lowkey place to meet with friends and The Buidlers Arms retains a traditional pub feel and remains a firm favourtie amongst Chelsea locals. But for those seeking some seductive flair head to   
Eclipse Chelsea, which was one of the first high end cocktail bars in the area.