King Cole Bar


The King Cole Bar is an upscale cocktail lounge in The St. Regis Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
Many mixologists believe the Bloody Mary made its first U.S. appearance in the King Cole Bar. The drink was then called "The Red Snapper," after originally being invented by Fernand Petiot at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, France. Others contend that the iconic drink, now one of the Official Cocktails of the International Bartenders Association, was indeed invented in the King Cole Bar.
Originally, the King Cole Bar was about fifty feet east of the small but ornate lobby of The St. Regis. It was a large room with many circular tables and a long north-south bar above which was the famous Parrish painting. Later, the bar was moved to a far smaller room east of that spot. The mural for which the venue is named, or perhaps a slightly smaller version of the painting, hangs behind the bar. It is by artist Maxfield Parrish and depicts "Old King Cole" who was a "merry old soul" calling for his pipe and bowl, and his "fiddlers three."
The bar has been the setting for scenes in The Devil Wears Prada, Hannah and Her Sisters, The First Wives Club, and Gossip Girl.