To select the top 50 bars in the world in 2024, The World’s 50 Best jury focused on the most innovative and qualitative approaches, in terms of both cocktails and the settings in which they are enjoyed. The result: luxurious, exhilarating experiences on every continent.
Increasingly international…The World’s 50 Best, the list of the best 50 bars, now covers the whole world.
And whereas “at one time, New York and London alone accounted for a quarter of the members”, recalls specialist media outlet Drinks International, the fifty or so bars honored by the 2024 ranking hail from some twenty countries on every continent.
Europe takes the honours with 18 bars, followed by Asia (13) and South America (8). With 8 bars (including three in Mexico City, four in New York and one in New Orleans), North America has recovered fairly well from the Prohibition era! In Australia, admittedly much less populous, 3 bars stand out…
Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico) in first place
At the very top of the podium of the 2024 ranking, unveiled on October 22 in Madrid, it’s an establishment based in Mexico City (Mexico), the Handshake Speakeasy, which takes the gold medal for best bar in the world. Bar Leone in Hong Kong and Sips in Barcelona (which took first place last year) were awarded silver and bronze medals respectively. Tayer + Elementary in London (England) and Jigger & Pony (Singapore) follow in fourth and fifth place…
Also named best bar in North America in 2024, Handshake Speakeasy, nestled in the Colonia Juárez district, offers a decor inspired by the Prohibition era. “At first glance, the drinks menu is minimalist, but as head bartender Eric Van Beek uses advanced culinary techniques to prepare, each drink is more complex than it appears, often requiring 48 hours to craft from start to finish and usually featuring unexpected textures,” comments The World’s 50 Best Academy on its website. And it goes on to mention some tempting finds, such as the Fig Martini or the Salt N Pepper, a highball of fresh, spicy mezcal with strawberries and green peppers!
Silver and bronze medals: Bar Leone (Hong Kong) and Sips (Barcelona)
In second place, Bar Leone, also “Asia’s Best Bar 2024”, is, meanwhile, “an Italian-style neighborhood cocktail bar located halfway up the Peak in Hong Kong”. “Founded and managed by industry veteran Lorenzo Antinori”, it offers an atmosphere that transports you to the land of La Dolce Vita, but also ‘where you feel right at home’. It offers “a selection of classic cocktails, infused with Italian style”, “complemented by a menu of carefully crafted dishes, including the now legendary mortadella sandwich”.
Finally, the third winner, Sips in Barcelona, also hailed as Europe’s Best Bar 2024, has “experienced a meteoric rise in the space of two years”. Opened in 2021, it had been named best bar in the world in 2023. “Everything that happens within its walls is the result of decades of combined experience”, however, points out The World’s 50 Best website. Indeed, “owners Simone Caporale and Marc Alvarez are industry legends, with Caporale’s former bar, the Artesian, having won first place in the World’s 50 Best Bars list four times between 2012 and 2015, while Alvarez honed his craft for more than 10 years with the Adria brothers of El Bulli Fame.”
SIPS, meanwhile, stands out both for its “designer decor”, which “deliberately departs from expectations of what a bar should look like”, and for its daring creations such as the Krypta (gin, brandy, kiwi and lime), served in a bespoke “olfactory chamber”, or the Primordial, a blend of whisky, port and pear… cradled and served by two metal hands! In 2024, Sips also opened Esencia, a connected but separate space, accommodating just 14 people maximum, and “enabling the tasting of carefully crafted cocktails that explore the limits of liquid creativity”.
Luxurious tasting experiences
The ranking, established by a jury of 680 anonymous beverage experts from around the world, honors the most innovative and enterprising bartenders and bar owners, offering their customers luxurious new tasting experiences. To this end, they are constantly pushing back the frontiers of mixology, the art of blending drinks to create new cocktails.
And just as the stars in gastronomy reward both the dishes produced and the art of presenting them, the ranking of the 50 best bars salutes both the quality of the drinks on offer and the setting in which they can be sipped.
In addition to the public’s taste for convivial moments around a refined beverage, these rankings often reflect the success of these bars’ host cities in terms of tourism. The cities with the highest number of bars are London, New York and Singapore (4 award-winning bars each), Paris, Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Mexico City (3 bars each). Athens, Hong Kong, Milan, Bangkok (Thailand), Tokyo and Melbourne (Australia) appear with two bars.
Interestingly, the only city in the Middle East to make the list is Dubai. Although alcohol is not normally consumed by its Muslim inhabitants, the destination has become a very popular tourist spot. The Mimi Kakushi, which is also the best bar in the Middle East-Africa zone, climbed to 40th place on the list for all categories.
Four Seasons well represented
Having a bar listed in the Holy of Holies is also a considerable asset for the hotels that sometimes host them.
In a press release published on October 23, the day after the new Palmarès 2024 was announced, Four Seasons was delighted to have “secured two places on the coveted list”.
The BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and the VIRTÙ at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi are ranked 12th and 42nd respectively.
“These awards reinforce the outstanding reputation of Four Seasons bars and restaurants, and underline the brand’s commitment to beverage excellence. Each of the award-winning bars offers an immersive experience, seamlessly blending local culture with cutting-edge mixology – an approach that has become the Four Seasons hallmark,” explained the hotel group.
Four Four Seasons bars among Asia’s 50 best
Four Seasons recalled that in July 2024, four Four Seasons bars had already been named to the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, announced in Hong Kong. The winners already included BKK Social Club and VIRTÙ, in 7th and 11th place, but also ARGO at the Four Sea Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, in 9th place, andBar Trigona at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, in 36th place.
“Our successes on the World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists reflect our passion for redefining mixology and pushing boundaries. Our bars have become iconic destinations, where craftsmanship meets exceptional atmosphere,” said Philipp Blaser, Four Seasons Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage. Showing his pride in his “teams, whose pursuit of excellence continues to set new standards in the industry”, the executive finally emphasized that “these achievements are not only a testament to their hard work, but also a source of inspiration to continue offering extraordinary experiences to guests around the world”.
Just like gastronomy, mixology is becoming an important way for modern hotels to stand out from the competition…
Read also > Rémy Cointreau revises downwards its 2024-2025 performance
Featured Photo: © Handshake Speakeasy
