Buckle up, cocktail lovers—numbers 51-100 of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 has officially dropped, featuring 23 destinations all over the continent. This is the first time we’re seeing the list’s expansion to 100 since the first North America ranking in 2022, and a whopping 29 bars are located within the United States, including the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Albuquerque, Boston, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix.
Boston’s own Equal Measure came in at number 81 on the list.
Touting themselves as a “global cocktail bar with a local twist,” Equal Measure is the extension of Garrett Harker’s Eastern Standard, a beloved Bostonian favorite that had a 16-year run until its closure in 2021. It comes as no surprise that both spaces have been in high demand since their opening at the Bower in Fenway in the fall of 2023.
Led by ES Hospitality beverage director Jackson Cannon and bar principal Eliza Hoar, the swank cocktail bar with art deco details, massive windows bedecked with velvet curtains, a lounge and a private dining room, can be accessed via a long hallway connected to Eastern Standard.
The cocktail list features fun plays on the classics like the Siesta, giving “bubble-less paloma vibes,” with tequila, Campari, grapefruit, lime and angostura bitters, and the Mad Hatter, a clarified milk punch. There’s also culinary-inspired drinks like Golden Girls featuring mezcal, falernum, pineapple and roasted golden beet syrup (“thank you for being a friend”), and the Gracias Gazpacho (“not your mom’s tomato soup”) with gin, clarified tomato, onion, bell pepper and cilantro serrano oil. All perfect to wash down bar snacks like deviled eggs with caviar and mini mortadella corn dogs with smoked jalapeño aioli.
“This extended ranking not only means we can recognize the hard work and dedication of the hospitality and drinks community, it means we can shine a spotlight on the development of exceptional drinks culture across the region, from Albuquerque and Austin to Victoria and Vancouver,” said Emma Sleight, Head of Content for North America’s 50 Best Bars, in an official statement.
Rankings are determined by the votes from Academy members made up of industry insiders, including bartenders, bar owners, writers, educators and cocktail experts from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. To coincide with the list’s expansion, the Academy grew to over 300 members.
A live awards ceremony for North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025, sponsored by Perrier, is set to take place on April 29 in Vancouver. Tune in on YouTube.