About The Pinnacle Guide
Words by Difford's Guide
Perhaps, the drinks industry's answer to Michelin.
Conceived by a trio of talented drinks professionals; Hannah-Sharman Cox, Siobhan Payne and Dan Dove, The Pinnacle Guide rates outstanding bars in Pins, one, two or three. If you're unfamiliar with their previous work, Hannah and Siobhan are the duo behind Hands London and have run London Cocktail Week since its inception, while Dan is the owner and operator of Global Bartending and has previously held high profile ambassador roles for prestigious spirit brands.
Here at Difford's Guide, we're lucky to have worked with all three, and indeed Hannah and Siobhan were once our colleagues prior to our selling London Cocktail Week, and always will be part of the unofficial Difford's family.
Siobhan Payne, Hannah-Sharman Cox and Dan Dove
So what is The Pinnacle Guide, how does it work and it benefits the drinks industry?
What is it? The Pinnacle Guide awards Pins and just like the Michelin Guide, bars can receive 1, 2 or 3 Pins. There is no limit to how many bars can be awarded Pins.
How will it work? Bars are graded by anonymous reviewers based locally to them. These reviewers judge the bar within a clear set of published parameters, used consistently across the globe, so that a bar in Sydney is guided using the same standards as one in London and one in Buenos Aires.
How does this help the drinks industry? In several ways. By establishing a reliable and trusted recognition system for bars, based on published and transparent criteria, there is an easy way for both consumers and trade to understand what qualifies a venue to be considered in the top 1% of bars worldwide.
Through its review process, the Pinnacle Guide also aims to gather insights into these top venues, giving bar owners everywhere a window into what it takes to be a Pinned destination.
Lastly, the criteria on which bars are judged were decided after consultation with the bar industry, hopefully resulting in a guide that consumers can recognise and which the trade can support.
More information can be found on ThePinnacleGuide.com
