Churchill Bar

In the depths of La Mamounia — Marrakech's legendary palace since 1929 — the Churchill Bar is a world apart. Dark mahogany woodwork, patinated leather club chairs, Persian rugs, and dimmed lighting that gives every guest the air of harboring a secret. Winston Churchill stayed here several times in the 1940s and 1950s, painting watercolors of the Atlas from his suite. The bar bears his name, and the spirit endures.

The bartender — Ahmed, present for over twenty years — prepares classic cocktails with a watchmaker's precision. The dry martini is a benchmark: Tanqueray gin, dry vermouth, green olive, served in a chilled glass that barely mists. The whisky sour is impeccable. But it's the Sunday morning bloody mary, served on the terrace overlooking La Mamounia's century-old gardens, that has become the connoisseurs' ritual.

The spirits list is encyclopedic — over 200 whisky references, pre-war cognacs, vintage rums. Cigars are available (adjoining smoking lounge) and well kept. It's the kind of bar where you could spend three hours without realizing it, lulled by the muffled jazz and the rustle of low-voiced conversations.

Prices are those of a palace: a cocktail costs between 200 and 300 dirhams. But you pay for the experience as much as the drink — and the experience here is priceless. It's one of the rare places in Morocco where service reaches a level of excellence with nothing left to prove.

The clientele is a mix of wealthy travelers, diplomats, businessmen, and old-guard Marrakchis who have been coming here for decades. The dress code is implicit: no flip-flops, no shorts.

The Churchill Bar earns its place because it is the living memory of what is greatest about Marrakech: a place where luxury isn't a spectacle, but an art of living.