The annual list of The World’s 50 Best Bars was announced at live ceremony in Singapore yesterday with Barcelona’s Sips crowned The Best Bar in Europe and The World’s Best Bar.
Held in Asia for the first time in its history, the ceremony celebrated the excellence of the international drinks sector, paying tribute to the visionary bartenders, enterprising bar owners and trailblazing brands that lead the charge in shaping cocktail culture around the world.
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023 features establishments from 28 cities, including 11 new entries from Bangkok, Berlin, Dubai, London, Melbourne, New Orleans, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Singapore and Stockholm.
The winner, Sips, located in the heart of Barcelona’s L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample district, combines elegant design with cutting-edge technique to create an unfussy and playful ‘drinkery house’ from two titans of the industry, Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez.
The bar’s interior encompasses muted pastel and gold-accented seating orbiting a futuristic workstation in place of the traditional bar.
This design removes any barrier between guest and bartender, with the aim of centring the human aspect of service to create a multi-sensory, immersive drinking experience.
“As the brainchild of cocktail-world icons Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale, Sips was destined for greatness even before it rocketed into the list at No.37 just a few short months after opening in 2021,” says William Drew, Director of Content, 50 Best.
“The bar seamlessly translates contemporary innovation and technical precision into a playful cocktail programme, accompanied by the warmest hospitality, making it a worthy winner of The World’s Best Bar 2023 title.”
While there were no New Zealand bars named in this year’s list, Sydney’s Maybe Sammy (No.15) was crowned The Best Bar in Australasia for the fifth time, having won the title every year since its launch in 2019.
Melbourne’s Caretaker’s Cottage joins the list for the first time at No.23.
1-50 List
| Position | Bar | Location |
| 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 |
| 26 | CoChinChina | Buenos Aires |
| 27 | Katana Kitten | New York |
| 28 | Satan’s Whiskers | London |
| 29 | Wax On | Berlin |
| 30 | Florería Atlántico | Buenos Aires |
| 31 | Röda Huset | Stockholm |
| 32 | Sago House | Singapore |
| 33 | Freni e Frizioni | Rome |
| 34 | Argo | Hong Kong |
| 35 | A Bar with Shapes for a Name | London |
| 36 | The SG Club | Tokyo |
| 37 | Bar Benfiddich | Tokyo |
| 38 | The Cambridge Public House | Paris |
| 39 | Panda & Sons | Edinburgh |
| 40 | Mimi Kakushi | Dubai |
| 41 | Scarfes Bar | London |
| 42 | 1930 | Milan |
| 43 | Carnaval | Lima |
| 44 | L’Antiquario | Naples |
| 45 | Baltra Bar | Mexico City |
| 46 | Locale Firenze | Florence |
| 47 | The Clumsies | Athens |
| 48 | Atlas | Singapore |
| 49 | Jewel of the South | New Orleans |
| 50 | Galaxy Bar | Dubai |
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