World’s 50 Best Bars in 2023: Bangkok leads 10 bars in Asia on the list
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Following the announcement of the extended 51-100 List last week, the 15th edition of The World’s 50 Best Bars was unveiled in Singapore this evening (17th October) during a live awards ceremony at Pasir Panjang Power Station. This marks the first time in the programme’s 15-year history that the award ceremony is hosted in Asia, bringing together the world’s leading bartenders and industry experts.
As the bar industry turned its attention to the countdown in Singapore, one bar from Spain emerged to bring home the coveted crown of The Best Bar in the World—Barcelona’s Sips. And so the Spanish city continues to reign at the top, after Paradiso (No. 4 this year) won the seat in 2022.
Asia saw 10 entries on the list, up from just eight last year, with Bangkok’s BKK Social Club winning The Best Bar in Asia award at No. 13. Three bars from Singapore made the list, namely, Jigger & Pony at No. 14, Sago House at No. 32, and Atlas at No. 48. Notably, Singapore’s Night Hawk (No. 73 on the extended list) also became the first-ever recipient of the Bareksten Best Bar Design Award out of 200 entries. On the other hand, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo each had two establishments in the top 50, whilst Seoul welcomes newcomer Zest at No. 18.
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In addition to the main list, a number of special accolades were handed out, such as the prestigious Roku Industry Icon Award, which went to Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni, founder of Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires. Apoorva Kohli of Sidecar made New Delhi proud by earning the 50 Best Bars The Blend Scholarship, which will help hone her potential to shape the future of the bar sector in India and beyond.
Meanwhile, GN Chan of Double Chicken Please took home the The Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award. The New York City bar—which previously picked up Highest New Entry and The Best Bar in North America in 2022—also climbed to the No. 2 spot to earn the crown of The Best Bar in North America.
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Peru’s Lady Bee earned the Campari One to Watch Award 2023; Buenos Aires’ Tres Monos won the Michter Art of Hospitality Award; Scotland’s The American Bar at Gleneagles picked up the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award; Norway’s Himkok rose 33 positions to claim the Nikka Highest Climber Award; and Stockholm’s Rodä Huset took home the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award. Finally, the esteemed Rémy Martin Legend of the List, which can only be won once by an establishment, was awarded to The Clumsies in Athens.
This year’s list is curated by a panel of over 650 drink experts from around the globe who form the 50 Best Academy—the most extensive pool since its inception in 2009. Each expert casted their votes confidentially for the top seven bars they’ve visited in the past 18 months.
Without further ado, here’s the full list of the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2023.
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World’s 50 Best Bars 2023
1. Sips, Barcelona (The World’s Best Bar & The Best Bar in Europe)
2. Double Chicken Please, New York City (The Best Bar in North America)
3. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
4. Paradiso, Barcelona
5. Connaught Bar, London
6. Little Red Door, Paris
7. Licoreria Limantour, Mexico City
8. Tayer + Elementary, London
9. Alquímico, Cartagena (The Best Bar in South America)
10. Himkok, Oslo (Nikka Highest Climber Award)
11. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires (Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award)
12. Line, Athens (Best New Opening)
13. BKK Social Club, Bangkok (The Best Bar in Asia)
14. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
15. Maybe Sammy, Sydney (The Best Bar in Australasia)
16. Salmon Guru, Madrid
17. Overstory, New York
18. Zest, Seoul* (Highest New Entry)
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, Greece
26. Cochinchina, Buenos Aires
27. Katana Kitten, New York
28. Satan’s Whiskers, London
29. Wax On, Berlin*
30. Floreria Atlantico, Buenos Aires
31. Rodä Huset, Stockholm (Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award)
32. Sago House, Singapore
33. Freni E Frizoni, 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 (re-entry)
40. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai (The Best Bar in the Middle East & Africa)
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 (Remy Martin Legend of the List)
48. Atlas, Singapore
49. Jewel of the South, New Orleans
50. Galaxy Bar, Dubai
(*represents new entries)
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