Cheers to the winners

If there were ever to be a decline in the quality of London's drinking venues, Sir Tim Rice would be taken in for questioning within minutes.

It is his long-standing role as chairman of the Evening Standard Pub & Bar of the Year competition that makes him such an authority on the subject, and this week he delivered the prestigious plaques to the best pub and the best bar in London.

Tim reconvened the judging panel - tennis commentator Annabel Croft, TV presenter Esther McVey, myself and chef Ross Burden (comedian Al Murray was absent) - first, at London's best pub. The Draper's Arms, on Barnsbury Street, Islington, is a handsome stucco building set midterrace and overlooking a smart Georgian square.

The spacious ground-floor room with central bar sports all the creature comforts: smart, squashy furnishings; huge picture-windows; and a clean, none-too-fussy environment. Old Speckled Hen is the best of the beers but the must-have drink on warmer days will be Pimm's in the walled garden. We are offered a collection of more than 40 New and Old World wines, plus a fabulous daily menu of modern British fare. Sir Tim said, "This is the type of quality pub I'd be happy to have on my doorstep."

We moved on to the Bar of the Year, Apartment 195 on Chelsea's King's Road. It has the look and feel of a Manhattan-style loft, unashamedly opulent. The main bar is one long room, with welcoming leather armchairs. A small cinema suite can be hired for parties. But it is the cocktails that make this place tower over the others, so this is the perfect pit-stop after a long day's shopping.

The drinks are expertly prepared by a small team of all-female bartenders, headed by 25-year-old manager Charlotte Voisey. Try the refreshing Gin Garden (fresh cucumber muddled with Tanqueray gin and shaken with elderflower and apple juices).

"A touch of glamour for Chelsea, at last," said Tim. And he should know.