The World’s 50 Best Bars was unveiled last night in a live awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain with Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy crowned The Best Bar in North America and The World’s Best Bar, making it the first time a bar from Mexico has claimed the No.1 spot in the list.
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 – Photo Supplied
Tucked away in the Colonia Juárez neighbourhood of Mexico City, Handshake Speakeasy is one of the capital’s best-kept open secrets. Hidden behind a secret door in a dimly lit room stocked with an impressive array of vintage spirits, the bar’s interiors masterfully evoke the bygone age of the Hollywood speakeasy.
While the atmospheric black marble, rich brass detailing and moody lighting of the interior are akin to stepping back a century, the innovative cocktail menu is rooted firmly in the future. Bar Director Eric van Beek effortlessly melds tradition and innovation, elevating the classics through cutting-edge technique developed in the on-site lab, revolutionising familiar recipes with unexpected flavours and a complex palate. Homemade tinctures and infusions add signature Art Deco flare alongside the use of considered rare and aged spirits.
Australia
For the first time in five years, there is a new The Best Bar in Australasia, with Melbourne’s Caretaker’s Cottage rising two places to No.21 and taking home the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award. It is joined by Sydney’s Maybe Sammy at No.26 and new entry Byrdi, also in Melbourne, at No.35. Here is the full list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.
Highlights
- Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City, ranks No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024, the first bar
from Mexico to take the top spot - The 2024 list features bars from 28 cities with 16 new entries spread across Bangkok,
Bogotá, Guadalajara, Hong Kong, Lima, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, New York, Paris, São
Paulo, Singapore, Tokyo - Monica Berg of London’s Tayēr + Elementary has been awarded the Roku Industry Icon
Award - Singapore’s Cat Bite Club receives the Campari One To Watch Award
- The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award is bestowed upon Zest, Seoul
- Hong Kong’s Bar Leone takes the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award, entering the list for
the first time at No.2 - The Cambridge Public House in Paris secures the Nikka Highest Climber Award, having
moved up 19 places to No.19 - Buenos Aires’ Florería Atlántico claims the title of Rémy Martin Legend of the List
- Superbueno, in New York, is named London Essence Best New Opening
- Calliope Draper of Partake, Edmonton is the recipient of the 50 Best Bars Roku Scholarship
- Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award is awarded to Lyaness in London
- The winner of the Bareksten Best Bar Design Award is Himkok in Oslo
London is the cocktail capital of Europe, but Barcelona leads the top 10
London retains its crown as the cocktail capital of Europe with four bars out of 19 for the continent, including No.4 Tayēr + Elementary with co-founder Monica Berg also being named the Roku Industry Icon. At No.13 is Connaught Bar joined by Satan’s Whiskers at No.29 and Scarfes Bar at No.37. Elsewhere in the UK, Panda & Sons in Edinburgh rises nine places to No.30 as founder Iain McPherson is awarded the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.
The Best Bar in Europe title once again goes to Barcelona’s Sips at No.3, with Paradiso (Barcelona) at No.10 and host city Madrid’s Salmon Guru at No.23. In Italy, Rome’s Drink Kong (No.33) and Florence’s Locale Firenze (No.36) are joined by new entry Moebius Milano (No.38) and 1930 (No.50), both in Milan.
Rising 19 places and winner of this year’s Nikka Highest Climber Award is Paris’ The Cambridge Public House at No.19, joined by two new entries for the city: Bar Nouveau at No.39 and Danico at No.49. Line and Baba au Rum in Athens have both improved on their positions in 2023, at No.6 and No.17, respectively, while Oslo’s Himkok is at No.11 and wins this year’s Bareksten Best Bar Design Award. In Stockholm, Röda Huset is No.45.
New York leads the Americas with four bars, but Mexico City takes the top spot
With four bars, New York City continues its dominance in North America, with Double Chicken Please (No.14) and Overstory (No.15) joined by new entries Martiny’s (No.24) and Superbueno (No.27), this year’s recipient of the London Essence Best New Opening Award. New Orleans’ Jewel of the South is No.34.
Rising two places to take the title of The World’s Best Bar and The Best Bar in North America is Handshake Speakeasy at No.1, cementing Mexico City’s place as one of the world’s greatest cocktail capitals. It is joined by new entry Tlecān at No.20 and Licorería Limantour at No.32 as well as Guadalajara’s El Gallo Altanero, a new entry at No.48.
Tres Monos in Buenos Aires becomes the new The Best Bar in South America at No.7, joined by fellow Porteños CoChinChina (No.22) and Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award winner Florería Atlántico (No.46). Colombia’s Alquímico in Cartagena continues its rise to the top at No.8, with new entry for Bogotá, La Sala de Laura joining at No.44. Last year’s Campari One To Watch Award winner, Lima’s Lady Bee, joins the list at an impressive No.16 while Sao Paolo’s Tan Tan is another new entry at No.31.
Singapore’s bars take the lead in Asia
With four bars on the list, Singapore leads in Asia, with stalwart bars Jigger & Pony at No.5 and Atlas at No.43 joined by new entries Nutmeg & Clove (No.28) and Analogue Initiative (No.47). In Hong Kong, new entry Bar Leone has stormed into the list at No.2, taking the title of The Best Bar in Asia as well as Disaronno Highest New Entry with neighbour Coa at No.18.
Bangkok and Tokyo also claim two bars a piece, with Bangkok’s BKK Social Club rising to No.12 alongside new entry Bar Us at No.41 while Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich (No.25) is joined by newcomer Virtú (No.42). In Seoul, Zest is at No.9 and wins this year’s Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award.
The UAE remains consistent
Dubai’s Mimi Kakushi holds its position at No.40 and is named The Best Bar in the Middle
East & Africa.
Special Awards
The ceremony began with Cat Bite Club in Singapore receiving the Campari One To Watch Award, an honour bestowed on a bar outside of the 1-50 ranking that the 50 Best team believes has what it takes to break into future editions of the list.
This year’s winner of the Bareksten Best Bar Design Award is Himkok in Oslo. Opened in 2015 by Erk Potur, Himkok is a world-leading cocktail bar, known for establishing Scandinavia’s cocktail culture. The Himkok building is considered part of Oslo’s architectural heritage, a unique, multi-storey space that embodies the principles of functionality, sustainability and cultural heritage. The design creates a unique and immersive experience for guests, inviting them to be part of the Himkok story and engaging them in a journey that goes beyond the surface of a typical bar. Judged by an esteemed panel of hospitality design experts, bars from anywhere in the world were invited to submit their venues for consideration.
Lyaness in London is awarded the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award for its 3.0 Cookbook menu. Offering guests a stripped back approach to mixology, blending storytelling and flavour creation for a multi-layered drinking experience, the menu pulls stories from across the world that centre on flavour with eighteen one-of-a-kind ingredients at its core. The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award is open to any bar in the world and is judged by the 28 Academy Chairs.
Monica Berg has been named Roku Industry Icon. A London-based multi-award-winning bartender and entrepreneur, her bar Tayēr + Elementary has been a firm fixture of The World’s 50 Best Bars top ten since 2020, among many other achievements. Her sincere passion for education, advocacy and empowerment within the wider hospitality community is world renowned, having co-founded P(OUR), an industry non-profit and charity which works to expand drinks knowledge across the bar community and support communities protecting regional biodiversity, as well as online resource BackOfHouse.
Joining the list for the first time at No.2, Hong Kong’s Bar Leone is awarded the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award. Founder Lorenzo Antinori’s Central bar is guided by its philosophy of cocktail popolari – ‘cocktails for the people’ – combining speed, consistency and simplicity into a drinks programme that has taken the world by storm.
Superbueno in New York is named London Essence Best New Opening as the bar that enters the list in the highest position of any that have opened during the voting period, joining the list at No.27. A vibrant ode to Mexican-American culture, Superbueno is an elevated cantina on the Lower East Side of Manhattan from industry veterans Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Jimenez and Greg Boehm. The cocktail programme blends the bold flavours of Mexico with signature New York flare from late afternoon through to the early morning.
Paris’ The Cambridge Public House wins the Nikka Highest Climber Award, rising 19 places within the 1-50 list to No.19. Inspired by a classic British pub blended seamlessly with elements of a chic Parisian cocktail bar, The Cambridge Public House delivers world class drinks with the down-to-earth and warming environment of everyone’s favourite local. The world’s first B-Corp bar, sustainability is at the heart of everything they do, and their ‘Community Plan’ initiative aims to build a more sustainable future by helping local communities around the world implement meaningful change.
The honour of the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award has been bestowed upon Florería Atlántico, an award given to a bar that has performed most consistently in the list since its inception. With Florería Atlántico, founder Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni has created a passionate celebration of Argentinian produce, heritage and culture and has been named The Best Bar in South America an
incredible eight times.
Zest in Seoul has won the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, based on independent adjudication by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Founders Demie Kim, Sean Woo, Jisu Park and Noah Kwon are paving the way to a more sustainable future behind the bar with a zero-waste approach that celebrates the finest local flavours alongside house-made innovations.
Other special award winners, announced in the run-up to the awards on 22 October, include Iain McPherson, winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award, and Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne, named the winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award.
The 50 Best Bars Roku Scholarship winner is Calliope Draper. Created to recognise emerging futuregazing talent and professionalise the craft of bartending, the scholarship winner will now complete three bar stages (internships) at Maybe Sammy in Sydney as well as Virtù and High Five in Tokyo. Calliope impressed the judges with her commitment to creating a better, safer and more inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community. It was feeling accepted and welcomed in bars as a person who identifies as non-binary and transgender that proved the catalyst for Calliope to enter the industry, and her desire to educate more people in front of and behind the bar is one that earned the respect and admiration of this year’s esteemed judging panel.
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024
1 Handshake Speakeasy Mexico City
2 Bar Leone Hong Kong
3 Sips Barcelona
4 Tayēr + Elementary London
5 Jigger & Pony Singapore
6 Line Athens
7 Tres Monos Buenos Aires
8 Alquímico Cartagena
9 Zest Seoul
10 Paradiso Barcelona
11 Himkok Oslo
12 BKK Social Club Bangkok
13 Connaught Bar London
14 Double Chicken Please New York
15 Overstory New York
16 Lady Bee Lima
17 Baba au Rum Athens
18 Coa Hong Kong
19 The Cambridge Public House Paris
20 Tlecān Mexico City
21 Caretaker’s Cottage Melbourne
22 CoChinChina Buenos Aires
23 Salmon Guru Madrid
24 Martiny’s New York
25 Bar Benfiddich Tokyo
26 Maybe Sammy Sydney
27 Superbueno New York
28 Nutmeg & Clove Singapore
29 Satan’s Whiskers London
30 Panda & Sons Edinburgh
31 Tan Tan São Paulo
32 Licorería Limantour Mexico City
33 Drink Kong Rome
34 Jewel of the South New Orleans
35 Byrdi Melbourne
36 Locale Firenze Florence
37 Scarfes Bar London
38 Moebius Milano Milan
39 Bar Nouveau Paris
40 Mimi Kakushi Dubai
41 Bar Us Bangkok
42 Virtù Tokyo
43 Atlas Singapore
44 La Sala de Laura Bogotá
45 Röda Huset Stockholm
46 Florería Atlántico Buenos Aires
47 Analogue Initiative Singapore
48 El Gallo Altanero Guadalajara
49 Danico Paris
50 1930 Milan
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