We at Time Out have plenty of rankings of bars, pubs and general boozers. On the hunt for the country’s best pubs? We’ve got a guide for that. London’s finest bars? Got that, too. What we don’t have (yet, anyway), is a definitive ranking of the entire country’s best cocktail bars – which is why the annual Top 50 Cocktail Bars awards are so damn handy.
And this year’s full list of the Top 50 Cocktail Bars has just been revealed. Decided by a ‘voting academy’ that includes bartenders, drinks writers, industry figures and influencers across the UK, the 2024 list was announced at a ceremony last night (February 6).
This year’s winner was, drum roll please… Schofield’s Bar in Manchester. Knocking London bar Satan’s Whiskers off the top, this is actually the second esteemed award that Schofield’s has picked up in the past 12 months. Back in May it topped the Class Bar awards – so, safe to say Schofield’s is on a bit of a roll right now.
Last year’s winner Satan’s Whiskers in London was pushed down to second, while Passing Fancies in Birmingham came third. There were also specialist awards: ‘best bar team’ went to Couch in Birmingham, ‘one to watch’ was won by Manchester’s Red Light and ‘sustainable bar of the year’ was awarded to Below Stairs in Leeds.
Here’s the full list of the Top 50 Cocktail Bars in the UK right now.
- Schofield’s Bar – Manchester
- Satan’s Whiskers –London
- Passing Fancies – Birmingham
- Couch – Birmingham
- Hey Palu – Edinburgh
- Blinker – Manchester
- Swift Soho – London
- Amaro Bar – London
- Panda and Sons – Edinburgh
- Tayēr + Elementary –London
- Kwãnt –London
- Speak in Code – Manchester
- Three Sheets –London
- 🔶🟥🔵 –London
- Murder Inc – London
- Tabula Rasa – Leeds
- Lab 22 – Cardiff
- Filthy XIII – Bristol
- Crossroads – London
- The Connaught Bar –London
- Project Halcyon – Manchester
- SOMA –London
- Eve Bar – London
- Side Hustle – London
- The Hideout – Bath
- Little Mercies – London
- Below Stairs – Leeds
- Silverleaf – London
- Bar Termini – London
- Seed Library – London
- Charlie Brown’s – Glasgow
- Bramble Bar & Lounge – Edinburgh
- Scarfes Bar – London
- Happiness Forgets – London
- The Absent Ear – Glasgow
- 69 Colebrooke Row – London
- Artesian – London
- Callooh Callay – London
- Fox and Chance – Birmingham
- The Milk Thistle – Bristol
- Nauticus – Edinburgh
- Public – Sheffield
- The Gate – Glasgow
- Nightjar – London
- Ojo Rojo – Bournemouth
- The Wildcat – Edinburgh
- Lyaness – London
- Pennyroyal – Cardiff
- Bench – Sheffield
- The American Bar – Auchterarder
You can check out the list in full on the official website here.
This ranking isn’t to be confused with the entirely-separate World’s 50 Best Bars list. You can find out more about that on Time Out here.
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