(CNN) — A two-level speakeasy in Mexico City’s hip Colonia Juarez neighborhood has been proclaimed the world’s best bar. Handshake Speakeasy clinched the title last night in Madrid, where a splashy awards ceremony was held by the World’s 50 Best association.
It’s a huge achievement for a bar that only opened its (downstairs) doors in 2023. Handshake Speakeasy was third on the list last year.
Another newcomer landed in second place. Hong Kong’s Italian-style Bar Leone, which aims to propagate the concept of “cocktail populari” or “cocktail for the people,” was crowned the best bar in Asia.
In third position was last year’s No. 1, Barcelona’s Sips. The 33-seat cocktail spot may be relatively new – it opened in 2021 and won the world’s best title two years later – but it is benefitted by star power behind the scenes. One of its owners spent years working at lauded Spanish restaurant El Bulli and the other built his resume at award-winning London bar Artesian.
The rest of the list brought mixologists and bar owners from points as far as Athens, Tokyo, Sydney and Lima to the party.
The World’s 50 Best Bars voters are a mix of industry professionals, including bartenders and drinks writers.
The organization describes its annual list as “a snapshot of the opinions and experiences of 700 bar industry experts across the globe,” and says there is no specific criteria that judges are asked to consider beyond their personal opinions.
The old(er) guard
While new names landed in a few of the top spots, there were also established bars showing they still have staying power.
Singapore’s Jigger & Pony has consistently ranked on the 50 Best list since its opening in 2012. Crowned No. 1 in Asia in 2020, the cocktail spot managed to survive through the pandemic. Meanwhile, at Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich, drinkers have been queuing up since 2013 to try and order a drink at this tiny, local-loved establishment in fashionable Shinjuku. It landed at No. 25 this year.
Hotel hot spots
Good news for travelers: some of this year’s standout cocktail spots are located in hotels, making them even easier to visit. Two of London’s most-lauded bars are in hotels: Scarfes Bar is on the ground floor of the glamorous Rosewood hotel, while Connaught Bar is housed inside the elegant Mayfair hotel from which it takes its name.
Mimi Kakushi, the list’s sole representative from Dubai, is inside the luxurious Four Seasons on Jumeirah Road. Named after a classic Japanese hairstyle, it was ranked the Best Bar in the Middle East and Africa this year. Meanwhile, Singapore’s Jigger & Pony is located in the city’s low key Amara Hotel.
Travelers who want to cross as many award-winning bars off their list as possible might want to head to London or New York City, which each have four bars in the top 50. Buenos Aires and Mexico City have three apiece.
Awards behind the bar
The “bartender’s bartender” prize, which is awarded annually to a mixologist by their peers, was given to Iain McPherson of Edinburgh’s 30th-place Panda & Sons.
McPherson, a Scotland native who also produces a line of boozy ice creams called Senor Scoops, was hailed by his fellow bartenders as being innovative and humorous in his approach.
“Thanks to everyone that voted and rates me at this position. Thank you to the amazing teams I get to work with, that deliver my visions, better than I ever can,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram.
“Congrats to all the others on the list. I also know it’s impossible to have everyone deserving of a place, mentioned on this list, so just keep doing the great things you are doing!”
The world’s 50 best bars for 2024
- Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
- Bar Leone, Hong Kong
- Sips, Barcelona
- Tayer + Elementary, London
- Jigger & Pony, Singapore
- Line, Athens
- Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
- Alquimico, Cartagena
- Zest, Seoul
- Paradiso, Barcelona
- Himkok, Oslo
- BKK Social Club, Bangkok
- Connaught Bar, London
- Double Chicken Please, New York City
- Overstory, New York City
- Lady Bee, Lima
- Baba au Rum, Athens
- Coa, Hong Kong
- The Cambridge Public House, Paris
- Tlecan, Mexico City
- Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne
- CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
- Salmon Guru, Madrid
- Martiny’s, New York City
- Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
- Maybe Sammy, Sydney
- Superbueno, New York City
- Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
- Satan’s Whiskers, London
- Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
- Tan Tan, Sao Paulo
- Licoreria Limantour, Mexico City
- Drink Kong, Rome
- Jewel of the South, New Orleans
- Byrdi, Melbourne
- Locale Firenze, Florence
- Scarfes Bar, London
- Moebius Milano, Milan
- Bar Nouveau, Paris
- Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
- Bar Us, Bangkok
- Virtu, Tokyo
- Atlas, Singapore
- La Sala de Laura, Bogota
- Roda Huset, Stockholm
- Floreria Atlantico, Buenos Aires
- Analogue Initiative, Singapore
- El Gallo Altenero, Guadalajara
- Danico, Paris
- 1930, Milan
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