The World’s 50 Greatest Bars 2024: Beneath the numbers – Drinks Worldwide

Trying down on the map of The World’s 50 Greatest Bars 2024, you possibly can see the progress that’s been made globally. The cocktail has left its strongholds and expanded, with bars levelling up around the globe. There has by no means been a wider unfold of nations than we’ve got now within the checklist – as final yr, the 50 bars hail from 20 international locations around the globe.

This wasn’t at all times the case. At occasions New York and London alone made up 1 / 4 of members. And whereas these scenes nonetheless entice expertise and share of the popularity – 4 bars apiece on this checklist yr’s checklist – the bar world is now multi-polar.

The winner

And it’s actually solely on this context that we are able to admire the true significance of this yr’s World’s Greatest Bar. Take a bow Eric van Beek and the Handshake Speakeasy staff who’ve projected themselves on to the worldwide stage from a cocktail bar scene that has actually solely been internationally recognized for a decade. With its culinary drinks and two distinct areas, Handshake manages to attraction to native and worldwide audiences.

Mexico Metropolis is simply the fourth metropolis to have the ability to lay declare to being residence to the No.1 bar. And let’s not overlook that, as of 2021, solely two cities had completed it – London had 10 wins and New York three. It’s as just lately as 2022 that Barcelona broke their stranglehold. For the worldwide bar trade, this yr appears like a leap even additional ahead. Mexico Metropolis is now not rising – it has emerged.

Prime 10

The highest 10 has by no means been extra worldwide – it’s made up of bars from 9 cities; Mexico Metropolis, Hong Kong, Barcelona, London, Singapore, Athens, Buenos Aires, Cartagena and Seoul. For the primary time, New York has not contributed any.

Handshake’s win may maybe have been predicted, however Hong Kong’s Bar Leone in second place, a lot much less so. It’s the highest ever end from an Asian bar, eclipsing the efficiency of Singapore’s Manhattan and Tokyo’s Excessive 5, which each completed in third.

In reality, Lorenzo Antinori’s aperitivo bar is the best new entry ever – from launching in summer season 2023 it’s now the second-best bar on the earth. That’s quick work. Given its meteoric rise, Bar Leone should now be the favorite to take prime spot subsequent yr.

In third we’ve got Simone Caporale and Marc Alvarez’s Sips, which drops two locations from final yr’s summit. Through the years solely three bars have ever gained 50 Greatest again to again – Milk & Honey London, Artesian and Connaught Bar – and more and more it feels as if holding on to the crown will get tougher by the yr. Solely as soon as prior to now eight years has a bar retained its title of World’s Greatest and no venue has dropped off the highest spot then reclaimed it down the road. However you’d suppose the modernist Sips, which has an open kitchen vibe and wows clients with flamboyant serves, may rise once more. Actually will probably be no stranger to the highest 10 within the coming years.

In fourth is Tayēr + Elementary, which is aware of no different world than the highest 10 of The World’s 50 Greatest Bars. It’s now its fifth yr there, its fourth within the prime 5. In its culinary method to elements and drinks making and its industrial décor, Monica Berg and Alex Kratena’s London venue appears to have an ever-contemporary high quality to it – it additionally takes the title of London’s highest-ranked bar.

Into fifth and it’s over to Singapore and Indra Kantono’s Jigger & Pony, which is showing within the checklist for the sixth time. When The World’s 50 Greatest Bars ceremony was in Singapore final yr, few guests weren’t impressed with this slick hotel-based operation that has the persona of an indie – its nine-place soar taking it to its highest ever end feels warranted.

Line – owned by Vasilis Kyritsis, Nikos Bakoulis, and Dimitris Dafopoulos – is one other massive mover, selecting up six spots to enter sixth. The bar chimes with the occasions – with its selfmade ferments and ingredient circularity, it places the craft into craft bartending.

In seventh, Tres Monos is South America’s highest-placed bar, discovering success by way of a celebration ambiance and a social conscience.

Alquímico equally pairs good-time vibes with a extra critical facet – it produces a lot of its elements at its in-land farm.

Zest, in the meantime, additionally picks up on that almost all fashionable of developments – cocktail bars that showcase their nation.  And in tenth, Paradiso could also be previous its high-point of recognition – its wondrous cocktails and Daliesque décor took it to prime spot in 2022 – however tenth place stays an achievement past most others.

The movers

Connaught Bar, Double Rooster Please and Licorería Limantour are maybe the three bars you’d anticipate to be within the prime 10 that aren’t, dropping eight, 12 and 25 locations respectively. For Connaught and Limantour you may clarify the autumn by the departure of a beloved figurehead – Maura Milia left Connaught, and Benjamin Padrón parted methods with Limantour – however DCP is tougher to assign trigger. It’ll should console itself with the lengthy queues out of the door – it stays an enormous hit with the NYC public.

One other mover is Thanos Prunarus’ Baba au Rum which, now up into the highest 20 in its ninth look, is ageing like a high-quality Greek wine. However the bar with the longest leap ahead inside the checklist (Bar Leone jumped from out to in) is The Cambridge Public Home, which strikes up 19 locations. The bar has undergone massive modifications to the sustainability of its operations prior to now two years – the crowning glory being named the primary B Corp bar on the earth.

One final thing – this yr there have been 16 new entries, which is likely one of the extra vital membership churns. Additionally, no bar from earlier than the earlier checklist (2009-2022) – known as re-entries – has come once more, which could be very uncommon. This mixed impact lends the sensation of freshness to the checklist – virtually a 3rd of the 50 bars are totally new. The door to the hallowed 50 is effectively and actually open.