These Are the 50 Best Bars in the World Right Now
London's Connaught Hotel has been rated the best bar in the world for the second year in a row.
(Bloomberg) -- For the second year in a row, the best saloon on the planet is the one at the Connaught Hotel.
The prestigious London bar, renowned for such high-styled drinks as the signature martini for two, served on a black lacquer trolly with engraved crystal glasses, was given the award by the World’s 50 Best Bars, which is owned and organized by William Reed Business Media.
It's a good year to drink in London: No. 2 on the World's Best list is Tayēr + Elementary, the two-part bar that offers a space for casual cocktails on tap, as well as an experimental bar for ambitious drinkers.
Glasses are also clinking in Mexico City—the members-only boîte Hanky Panky scored as the highest ranking new entry, coming in at No. 12; the city’s buzzy Licorería Limantour is No. 6.
Singapore is the city with the most entries in the top 50—six, including the No. 9 ranked Jigger & Pony.
New York did not fare as well. The highest-ranking entry was the engaging Katana Kitten, which specializes in highballs; it came in at No. 10. Dante, which was No. 2 last year and was named the world’s best bar in 2019, ranks No. 30 this year.
The 2021 list features bars from 17 countries, including 18 new entries, among the top 50.
“There’s a good number of new entries from new countries, and lots of new faces at the top end,” said Mark Sansom, content editor for the World’s 50 Best Bars, in a video interview. “If anyone’s using our list to book their bar-focused travel, there’s going to be lots of inspiration for them.”
Still, the list echoes this year’s World’s 50 Best restaurant list, which also saw a familiar face, Noma, named to the top spot, again.
The list of bars ranked 51 through 100 was announced on Dec. 2 and includes bars from 34 cities across 26 countries, with 28 new entries on the list. Of those 50, 13 are located in Europe and seven in the U.S.
The Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award, announced last week, was given to Lynette Marrero, bar manager at the Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn, in New York; the award was voted upon by the bartenders who make up this year’s Top 1-50 winners. Marrero is also the co-founder of Speed Rack, the 10-year-old bartending competition that has raised more than $1.25 million for female-based charities. “A peer voted award feels especially meaningful,” says Marrero. “It’s rewarding to know that work like Speed Rack resonates.”
The Michter’s Art of Hospitality award went to Salmon Guru in Madrid, headed up by mixologist Diego Cabrera. It was a good night for Spain, who grabbed four spots on the list, starting with Paradiso, at No. 3.
The best bars list is compiled by World’s 50 Best Bars from the votes of over 600 participants around the world, including drinks writers, bartenders, and cocktail aficionados. It is based on visits made from March 2020 through September 2021. The voting guidelines and requirements were reevaluated to reflect the time period’s limited travel opportunities, due to the pandemic. For instance, this year there was no requirement to cast international votes, whereas in prior periods at least three of a voter’s seven named bars were supposed to be international.
** = first time on the list
1. Connaught Bar, London
2. Tayēr + Elementary, London
3. Paradiso, Barcelona
4. The Clumsies, Athens
5. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
6. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
7. Coa, Hong Kong
8. El Copitas, St. Petersburg
9. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
10. Katana Kitten, New York
11. Two Schmucks, Barcelona
12. Hanky Panky, Mexico City **
13. Insider Bar, Moscow **
14. Baba au Rhum, Athens
15. Manhattan, Singapore
16. Atlas, Singapore
17. Zuma, Dubai
18. The SG Club, Tokyo
19. Drink Kong, Rome
20. 1930, Milan
21. Presidente, Buenos Aires
22. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
23. Cantina OK!, Sydney
24. Salmón Gurú, Madrid
25. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City **
26. No Sleep Club, Singapore**
27. Camparino in Galleria, Milan **
28. Cafe La Trova, Miami**
29. Little Red Door, Paris
30. Dante, New York
31. Kwānt, London
32. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
33. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires **
34. Attaboy, New York (12)
35. Lucy’s Flower Shop, Stockholm **
36. MO Bar, Singapore**
37. Sips, Barcelona **
38. Baltra Bar, Mexico City**
39. Sober Company, Shanghai
40. Tjoget, Stockholm
41. Epic, Shanghai**
42. Charles H, Seoul
43. Tippling Club, Singapore
44. Above Board, Melbourne**
45. Galaxy Bar, Dubai**
46. Re, Sydney**
47. Sidecar, New Delhi**
48. Union Trading Company, Shanghai**
49. DarkSide, Hong Kong**
50. Quinary, Hong Kong
51. Locale Firenze, Florence **
52. Bar Trigona, Kuala Lampur
53. Alquimico, Cartagena
54. Double Chicken Please, New York **
55. Lyaness, London
56. Byrdi, Melbourne
57. Swift, London
58. Bulgari Bar Dubai, Dubai **
59. Penicillin, Hong Kong **
60. Employees Only, New York
61. Kumiko, Chicago
62. Tropic City, Bangkok
63. Sago House, Singapore **
64. The Court, Rome**
65. Tesouro by Firefly, Goa**
66. Thurderbolt, Los Angeles**
67. Red Frog, Lisbon
68. Dead End Paradise, Beirut**
69. Danico, Paris
70. Hero Bar, Kenya**
71. 28 Hong Kong Street, Singapore
72. Argo, Hong Kong**
73. Satan’s Whiskers, London**
74. Barro Negro, Athens**
75. Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen, Cape Town
76. The Bellwood, Tokyo **
77. A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London**
78. A Bar Called Gemma, Stockholm**
79. Himkok, Oslo
80. Side Hustle, London**
81. Barbary Coast, Singapore**
82. L’Antiquario, Naples**
83. Buck & Breck, Berlin
84. 1862 Dry Bar, Madrid**
85. Cera & Bruno Vanzan, Milan**
86. Art of Duplicity, Cape Town
87. Tan Tan, Sao Paulo**
88. Carnaval, Lima
89. Sweet Liberty, Miami**
90. BKK Social Club, Bangkok**
91. Aha Saloon, Tapei
92. The Cambridge Public House, Paris**
93. Flying Dutchman Cocktails, Amsterdam
94. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou
95. Hoots’, New Delhi**
96. Frequence, Paris**
97. Tales & Spirits, Amsterdam
98. Savas Bar, Madrid**
99. Death & Co., Los Angeles
100. Leyenda, New York
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