In a ranking dominated by the Americas and Europe, two bars from Singapore and Thailand bags the tops spots, with Singapore’s Jigger & Pony at No. 14 while Bangkok’s BKK Social is Asia’s highest placing at No. 13.
Singapore clinched three spots on the list with Jigger & Pony (No. 14), Sago House (No. 32) and Atlas, which re-entered the list at No. 48.
Besides BKK Social, Bangkok has a new entrance on the list at No. 19, the Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar.
The top spot was bagged by Barcelona’s Sips, which was crowned on Tuesday (Oct 17) in the first ever live awards ceremony held in Asia of the World’s 50 Best Bars list.
The first runner-up is New York’s Double Chicken Please while Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City took third place. Last year’s winner Paradiso, also located in Barcelona, was relegated to fourth position.
Sip founder Spanish Marc Alvares and Italian Simone Caporale attributed the win to hard work for the past two and a half years and more as they work “10 days a week”, 30 hours a day.
Caporale added: “But ultimately, when you can prove to yourself you can do something, it is a very beautiful moment of your life.”
The global bar community converged at Singapore’s Pasir Panjang Power Station yesterday for the live awards ceremony, which is held in Asia for the first time in its history.
The 15th edition featured establishments from 28 cities, including 11 new entries, across destinations such as Bangkok, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Paris, Seoul, Stockholm and Singapore.
The award host, Singapore, had strong showing in the extended list announced a week earlier, with five bars out of a total of 14 across Asia: 28 HongKong Street (No. 59) Manhattan (No.63), Nutmeg & Clove (No.64), Analogue Initiative (No.78) and Native (No.83).
Night Hawk also picked up the inaugural Bareksten Best Bar Design Award.
Asia is represented by stalwarts Bar Benfiddich (No. 37) and The SG Club (No. 36) from Tokyo and Hong Kong’s Coa (No. 20) and Argo (No. 34) as well as new entrant Bangkok’s Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar (No. 19).
Meanwhile, bars from the Americas and Europe continue to shine while cities like Athens, Dubai and Stockholm show promise as emerging cocktail destinations.
Athens’ art gallery-turned-bar Line (No. 12) was named London Essence Best New Opening, given to a bar that enters the list in the highest position of any that have opened during the voting period.
Its older sibling The Clumsies (No. 47) won the title of Remy Martin Legend of the List, which is given to the most consistently performing bar on the list since it was opened.
Alongside the list were special achievement awards such as the Campari One to Watch, which was won by Lima’s Lady Beer, a bar outside of the 1-50 ranking that the 50 Best team deems has the potential to make it to future editions of the 50 Best list.
Oslo’s Himkok (No. 10) zipped past 33 spots to secure the Nikka Highest Climber Award, while Seoul’s sustainability-focused bar Zest (No. 18) joins the list for the first time with the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award.
The Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Scotland, which was placed No. 32 on the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels list in September, picked up the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu award for its in-house bar The American Bar. The award is open to any bar in the world and is judged by the 28 Academy chairs.
Other special award winners were announced in the run-up to yesterday’s event. Buenos Aires’ Monos clinched the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, while GN Chan, co-owner of New York’s Double Chicken Please won the peer-voted Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.
Other notables include Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni of Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires who was voted Roku Industry Icon for his passionate advocacy of Argentinian produce, heritage and culture while Apoorva Kohli from New Delhi’s acclaimed Sidecar received the 50 Best Bars The Blend Scholarship.
The scholarship is open to any aspiring bartender over the age of 21 with under five years’ professional experience. Kohli will now go on two internships at Sips and Alquímico in Cartagena, Colombia.
The World’s 50 Best Bars list is compiled by votes from 680 drinks experts in the industry with a 50/50 gender parity, including bartenders, bar owners, drinks writers and consultants.
The voters are spread across 28 global geographic regions, each headed by an Academy Chair who selects their region’s voters. Each voter casts seven votes based on their best bar experiences of the previous 18 months. If they have been unable to travel, they can provide five votes from their home country or Special Administrative Region.
Here is the full list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023:
1. Sips, Barcelona
2. Double Chicken Please, New York
3. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
4. Paradiso, Barcelona
5. Connaught Bar, London
6. Little Red Door, Paris
7. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
8. Tayer + Elementary, London
9. Alquímico, Cartagena
10. Himkok, Oslo
11. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
12. Line, Athens
13. BKK Social, Bangkok
14. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
15. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
16. Salmon Guru, Madrid
17. Overstory, New York
18. Zest, Seoul
19. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok*
20. Coa, Hong Kong
21. Drink Kong, Rome
22. Hanky Panky, Mexico City
23. Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne
24. Café La Trova, Miami
25. Baba Au Rum, Athens
26. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
27. Katana Kitten, New York
28. Satan’s Whiskers, London
29. Wax On, Berlin*
30. Floreria Atlantico, Buenos Aires
31. Röda Huset, Stockholm
32. Sago House, Singapore
33. Freni E Frizioni, Rome*
34. Argo, Hong Kong
35. A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
36. The SG Club, Tokyo**
37. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
38. The Cambridge Public House, Paris*
39. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh**
40. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
41. Scarfes Bar, London*
42. 1930, Milan
43. Carnaval, Lima
44. L’Antiquario, Naples
45. Baltra Bar, Mexico City
46. Locale Firenze, Florence
47. The Clumsies, Athens
48. Atlas, Singapore**
49. Jewel of the South, New Orleans*
50. Galaxy Bar, Dubai
*new entry
**re-entry
