Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 was announced on 18th July in Hong Kong with COA, a tequila and mezcal bar in Hong Kong taking the number one spot for the third consecutive year.
Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 – Photo Supplied
Coa, Hong Kong, has achieved the remarkable feat of holding onto the No.1 spot for three consecutive years while also being awarded The Best Bar in Asia and The Best Bar in Hong Kong, sponsored by Perrier. Established in 2017 by bartender-owner Jay Khan, the bar takes its name from the agave harvesting tool and showcases a vast collection of over 200 bottles of tequila, mezcal, and other handcrafted Mexican spirits like raicilla, bacanora, sotol, and charanda. Khan, an industry veteran with over 15 years of experience, was voted Bartenders’ Bartender at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2020. Coa made its debut on the list in 2019, securing the Highest New Entry Award at No.12 and has been steadily rising in popularity to claim the coveted top spot which it has been holding onto steadfastly.
At No.2 is Jigger & Pony, Singapore, which is also The Best Bar in Singapore for the third year running. This year, it has also been crowned the Rémy Martin Legend of the List. Climbing up seven spots to No.3 is BKK Social Club, which is named The Best Bar in Thailand. Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich comes in at No.4, moving up a spot from last year’s No.5 and taking the title of The Best Bar in Japan. A meteoric rise of 43 spots puts Seoul’s Zest at No.5 and with this, it wins both the Nikka Highest Climber Award as well as The Best Bar in Korea.
Special Awards
Night Hawk (No.73 on the 51-100 list) in Singapore has been named the Campari One To Watch Award, hand-picked by the organisers of Asia’s 50 Best Bars as a venue with the potential to break into the 1-50 list in the future. Singapore bar veteran Peter Chua’s walk-ins-only, 22-seater watering hole offers a spot for mixology enthusiasts to appreciate potent libations, engage in cocktail conversations at the counterseats, and indulge in intimate, heady escapism.
Hiroyasu Kayama, the bartender-owner of Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich, is crowned the Roku Industry Icon. Kayama is a farm-to-bar cocktail champion and forestry enthusiast whose establishment exudes a medieval apothecary vibe. An inspiring force and a true master of his craft, he pioneers ethical farming and in-house distillation to bring creativity to his drinks.
The Rémy Martin Legend of the List has been awarded to Singapore’s Jigger & Pony (No.2), an award given to a bar that has performed most consistently in the rankings since the list’s 2016 inception. They debuted on the list at No.8 and landed the coveted No.1 spot in 2020 and have steadfastly ranked No.2 for the past three years.
Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok is awarded London Essence Best New Opening and enters the list at No.22. The stylish new drinking den led by Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn impresses with its cocktail list that honours every part of the ingredient to create its drinks.
The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award is won by Analogue (No.15) in Singapore. It marks a deserving win for this three-year-old bar that puts sustainability at the fore, right from a bar counter 3D printed from recycled plastic bottles, upcycled coasters and tabletops, and plant-based menus featuring low-impact ingredients and base spirits with reduced carbon footprints.
Making its debut on the list at No.20 is Virtù, which wins the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award. The cocktail and cognac lounge at the Four Seasons Otemachi has impressed drink enthusiasts with a cocktail list that marries French aperitifs and liqueurs with Japanese shochu and whisky.
Ascending 43 spots from last year’s list, Zest at No.5 wins the Nikka Highest Climber Award as well as The Best Bar in Korea. The sustainability-driven bar is steadfast on its low-waste principles while also paying homage to Korean aesthetics and locally sourced ingredients and flavours.
The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu goes to The Cocktail Club in Jakarta. Its vast and extensive menu is anchored with creative riffs on the classics and heavily features local ingredients (fermented cempedak, curry leaves, and red rice to name a few) inventive techniques (house-barrel aged whiskey) and unique flavour combinations, all enjoyed in a setting where art deco meets lush Indonesian warmth.
Pre-announced special award winners that accepted their accolades at the live ceremony include Sago House in Singapore, winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, and Beckaly Franks from Hong Kong, winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.
Below is the full list of the winners of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023.
Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023
1 Coa Hong Kong
2 Jigger & Pony Singapore
3 BKK Social Club Bangkok
4 Bar Benfiddich Tokyo
5 Zest Seoul
6 Tropic City Bangkok
7 Nutmeg & Clove Singapore
8 Argo Hong Kong
9 Darkside Hong Kong
10 Sago House Singapore
11 Indulge Experimental Bistro Taipei
12 Vesper Bangkok
13 Cham Bar Seoul
14 The SG Club Tokyo
15 Analogue Initiative Singapore
16 Republic Singapore
17 The Aubrey Hong Kong
18 Sidecar New Delhi
19 The Cocktail Club Jakarta
20 Virtù Tokyo
21 Manhattan Singapore
22 Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar Bangkok
23 Lamp Bar Nara
24 28 HongKong Street Singapore
25 Le Chamber Seoul
26 Penicillin Hong Kong
27 Atlas Singapore
28 Alice Seoul
29 Pantja Jakarta
30 Employees Only Singapore
31 Quinary Hong Kong
32 Stay Gold Flamingo Singapore
33 Mostly Harmless Hong Kong
34 The Curator Manila
35 The Bombay Canteen Mumbai
36 Bar Trigona Kuala Lumpur
37 Southside Parlor Seoul
38 Copitas Bengaluru
39 Hope & Sesame Guangzhou
40 Smoke & Bitters Hiriketiya
41 Vender Taichung
42 Native Singapore
43 The Public House Taipei
44 Bee’s Knees Kyoto
45 High Five Tokyo
46 Soko Seoul
47 The Old Man Hong Kong
48 The Living Room Mumbai
49 The Bellwood Tokyo
50 Penrose Kuala Lumpur
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