The 2024 ranking of the 50 best bars honours the whole world

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!