The World's 50 Best Bars

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Words by Simon Difford

This list is compiled annually according to the opinions of an international "Academy of voters" "which comprises more than 540 drinks experts, including renowned bartenders and consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists from around the world".

The World's 50 Best includes bars from Australasia, Latin America, Asia, Europe and North America and the global spread appears to become more diverse each year.

As usual London and New York dominated with London once again claiming more 50 Best Bars than any other city with nine bars, including the Connaught Bar awarded World Best Bar. New York once again came a close second with five bars including second place for Dante (last year's winner). Singapore once again showed the vibrancy of its bar scene disproportionate to its size with four bars in The 50 Best.

Is this list a true reflection of the World's Best Bars or is it more a case of the bars that attract the most attention? I am lucky enough to have visited many of the 50 bars below and looking at some of the results I'd argue that the list says as much about a bar's media presence and their being situated in a city that folk like me visit regularly (at least in non-Covid years) as it does the quality of their drinks and service.

That said, this is a list of truly excellent bars and I'd like to extend my congratulations to those who have worked so hard to secure one of the 50 highly coveted places, particularly to our friends at the Connaught. And my ongoing thanks to all the bars in London that together make London The World's Best Cocktail City and home to 18% of The World's 50 Best Bars. Hurrah!

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