London has been named the best place to drink in the world, stealing the top spot from New York at the World’s 50 Best Bars awards. The annual chart – compiled from votes by industry experts all over the globe – was unveiled in a virtual countdown last night (Thursday November 5), instead of the usual glitzy, cocktail-fuelled bash. And the number one was awarded to London’s Connaught Bar, a Mayfair institution famed for its Martinis.
In 2019’s countdown The Connaught Bar was in second place, but this year switched places with former champion and home of the Negroni, Dante in New York. The rest of the top ten saw a bit more of a shake-up, though, with new London bars Kwãnt and Tayēr + Elementary rising up the ranks, along with Singapore’s Atlas and Jigger & Pony. Hong Kong’s Coa and Tokyo’s The SG Club moved up to numbers eight and ten respectively.
It was a great night for the UK in general, with the most bars from any country found within the countdown: as well as a total of eight bars from London littered throughout the list, quirky Edinburgh speakeasy Panda & Sons took the number 32 spot.
But there were also nods to places with more burgeoning drinking scenes, from Cartagena’s party bar Alquimico at number 47 to Taipei’s high-concept Room by Le Keif at number 46. If this doesn’t have you thirsting for travel, we don’t know what will.
Check out the full countdown here:
1. Connaught Bar (London, UK)
2. Dante (New York, USA)
3. The Clumsies (Athens, Greece)
4. Atlas (Singapore)
5. Tayēr + Elementary (London, UK)
6. Kwānt (London, UK)
7. Florería Atlántico (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
8. Coa (Hong Kong, China)
9. Jigger & Pony (Singapore)
10. The SG Club (Tokyo, Japan)
11. Maybe Sammy (Sydney, Australia)
12. Attaboy (New York, USA)
13. Nomad Bar (New York, USA)
14. Manhattan (Singapore)
15. The Old Man (Hong Kong, China)
16. Katana Kitten (New York, USA)
17. Licorería Limantour (Mexico City, Mexico)
18. Native (Singapore)
19. Paradiso (Barcelona, Spain)
20. American Bar (London, UK)
21. Carnaval (Lima, Peru)
22. Salmón Gurú (Madrid, Spain)
23. Zuma (Dubai, UAE)
24. Little Red Door (Paris, France)
25. 1930 (Milan, Italy)
26. Two Schmucks (Barcelona, Spain)
27. El Copitas (St Petersburg, Russia)
28. Cantina OK! (Sydney, Australia)
29. Lyaness (London, UK)
30. Himkok (Oslo, Norway)
31. Baba au Rum (Athens, Greece)
32. Panda & Sons (Edinburgh, UK)
33. Swift (London, UK)
34. Three Sheets (London, UK)
35. The Bamboo Bar (Bangkok, Thailand)
36. Tjoget (Stockholm, Sweden)
37. Buck & Breck (Berlin, Germany)
38. Employees Only (New York, USA)
39. Bulletin Place (Sydney, Australia)
40. Bar Benfiddich (Tokyo, Japan)
41. Artesian (London, UK)
42. Sober Company (Shanghai, China)
43. Indulge Experimental Bistro (Taipei, Taiwan)
44. Bar Trigona (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
45. Drink Kong (Rome, Italy)
46. Room by Le Kief (Taipei, Taiwan)
47. Alquímico (Cartagena, Colombia)
48. High Five (Tokyo, Japan)
49. Charles H (Seoul, Korea)
50. Presidente (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Now check out the best bars in London and New York, and the 36 best cocktails in the world.