The World’s 50 Best Bars were announced yesterday in London via a virtual awards ceremony, with London’s “Connaught Bar” clinching the No. 1 spot.
The awards’ list is organized by William Reed Business Media, which also produces The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
The 2020 winners
This year’s list includes bars from 23 countries, with 11 new entries.
The U.K. had the strongest showing, with bars in London accounting for eight of its nine rankings. Europe took 21 spots in total, more than Asia’s 15 and twice that of the Americas — North and South America lodged 10 slots in total.
Connaught Bar is known for its martini trolley, which allows waiters to prepare drinks at your table. Singapore dominated Asia’s rankings, with four bars being named among the world’s best, an outsized showing for the city-state that is home to nearly 5.7 million people. Tokyo registered three bars on the list, while Hong Kong and Taipei each netted two.
Sydney accounts for Australia’s three rankings, while Dubai’s Zuma bar gave the Middle East its sole award.
The full list includes
Connaught Bar, London
Dante, New York
The Clumsies, Athens
Atlas, Singapore
Tayer + Elementary, London
Kwant, London
Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
Coa, Hong Kong
Jigger & Pony, Singapore
The SG Club, Tokyo
Maybe Sammy, Sydney
Attaboy, New York
Nomad Bar, New York
Manhattan, Singapore
The Old Man, Hong Kong
Katana Kitten, New York
Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
Native, Singapore
Paradiso, Barcelona
American Bar, London
Carnaval, Lima
Salmon Guru, Madrid
Zuma, Dubai
Little Red Door, Paris
1930, Milan
Two Schmucks, Barcelona
El Copitas, St. Petersburg
Cantina OK!, Sydney
Lyaness, London
Himkok, Oslo
Baba Au Rum, Athens
Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Swift, London
Three Sheets, London
The Bamboo Bar, Bangkok
Tjoget, Stockholm
Buck and Breck, Berlin
Employees Only, New York
Bulletin Place, Sydney
Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
Artesian, London
Sober Company, Shanghai
Indulge Experimental Bistro, Taipei
Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur
Drink Kong, Rome
Room by Le Kief, Taipei
Alquimico, Cartagena
High Five, Tokyo
Charles H., Seoul
Presidente, Buenos Aires
This year, the voting process changed to highlight emerging bar scenes around the globe, said Mark Sansom, content editor for The World’s 50 Best Bars.
The 50 Best organization appointed an outside chairperson to 20 geographical regions around the world. Each chairperson then chose a voting panel for each region, which cumulatively formed the organization’s voting “Academy.”
“The 540-strong Academy is made up of drinks experts, including bartenders, bar managers, drinks consultants, brand ambassadors, drinks writers, historians and cocktail aficionados who are selected for their knowledge of the international bar scene,” said Sansom.