Barcelona has retained its grip on the World’s 50 Best Bars list as intimate cocktail joint Sips claimed the top spot at 2023’s awards.
With the coveted title long-dominated by London and New York establishments, Tuesday’s announcement marked the second consecutive victory for the cosmopolitan city in Spain. Trendy speakeasy Paradiso, which took home last year’s top prize, slipped to fourth this year.
Held at a decommissioned 1950s power plant in Singapore, Tuesday’s ceremony was the first to be hosted outside Europe in the awards’ 14-year history. The list has also become increasingly diverse in recent years: Mexico City has four bars on 2023’s list, including the third-placed Handshake Speakeasy, while Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires and host city Singapore are both home to three top 50 bars.
Several Asian countries saw establishments featured for the first time, including Seoul’s sustainability-focused Zest — the highest new entry at 18th. Bangkok’s burgeoning bar scene also enjoyed a strong showing, with Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar finishing 19th and the retro-styled BKK Social Club named Asia’s top bar in 13th place.
Winners were voted for anonymously by the World’s 50 Best Bar Academy, a group of 680 industry figures including bar owners, bartenders and critics. There are no specific voting criteria, with members simply asked to judge where “they have enjoyed the best experience,” organizers said.
‘Let’s call it a dream’
While only three bars in New York City made this year’s list — down from eight in 2015 — the runner-up spot went to Double Chicken Please in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Florida and Louisiana were represented with Miami’s Café La Trova and New Orleans’ Jewel of the South claiming the 24th and 49th spots, respectively.
And although London is again home to more top-50 bars than any other city, Tuesday marked the first time since the awards were founded in 2009 that no establishments in the UK capital finished in the top three. Two-time winner Connaught Bar, in London’s upmarket Mayfair district, finished fifth. Connaught finished eighth last year.
Sips co-founders Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez, who opened their Barcelona bar during the Covid-19 pandemic, said claiming top spot could be transformative for their establishment. “Let’s call it a dream,” Caporale told CNN shortly after the awards were announced.
With just 33 seats, Sips uses locally sourced ingredients to produce what Álvarez called “high couture cocktails.” The celebrated mixologist welcomed the Barcelona bar scene’s growing reputation, adding: “It’s a very nice spot — architecture, gastronomy, good weather. If we add on top of that nice drinks and good service, I think it’s (somewhere) that needs to be recognized.”
William Reed, the company behind the annual awards, has recently launched regional lists for Asia’s and North America’s 50 Best Bars, won earlier this year by Hong Kong’s Coa and the aforementioned Double Chicken Please in New York.
The group also coordinates the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, which named fine dining establishment Central, in the Peruvian capital Lima, at No. 1 for 2023.
World’s best bars for 2023
1. Sips, Barcelona
2. Double Chicken Please, New York
3. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
4. Paradiso, Barcelona
5. Connaught Bar, London
6. Little Red Door, Paris
7. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
8. Tayēr + Elementary, London
9. Alquímico, Cartagena
10. Himkok, Oslo
11. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
12. Line, Athens
13. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
14. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
15. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
16. Salmon Guru, Madrid
17. Overstory, New York
18. Zest, Seoul
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, Athens
For the full list of the top 50, visit the World’s 50 Best Bars site.
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