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Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh
Hong Kong has once again taken the top spot at this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards — but a different bar was in the spotlight. After three consecutive years of clinching the coveted No. 1 position on the list (from 2021 to 2023), Coa has given way to another Hong Kong bar, Bar Leone, which is inspired by traditional Roman bars in the hometown of its Italian owner, Lorenzo Antinori. The much feted Mexican-inspired cocktail bar Coa dropped to No. 4 on this year’s list, much to the surprise of the audience at the high-spirited award ceremony at Rosewood Hong Kong on 16 July.
Bar Leone, which opened last June on Bridges Street in Hong Kong’s Central district, made a splash with an astronomical debut on the list with the No. 1 spot. It also received the Highest New Entry award.
Commenting on Bar Leone’s secret to success at the event’s press conference, Lorenzo Antinori says: “The bar is a project of love put together by the team and is a celebration of simplicity, where people can feel comfortable and welcomed — that is what matters.”
A fresh crop of Singapore bars made the cut, with four of the 11 homegrown bars on the list being first-timers. The new entrants are Nighthawk (No. 16), Offtrack (No. 26), Origin Bar (No. 32), and Fura (No.42). Stalwart bar Jigger and Pony, which opened its offshoot bar Cosmo Pony in Jakarta last week, clinched the third position. It took the second spot for the past three consecutive years.
With 11 bars, Singapore had the same number of bars as last year’s list. However, some bars slipped on the list. They include Employees Only (No. 38), which dropped eight places from last year, and Analogue Initiative (No. 35) fell 20 spots.
Shelley Tai, Group Operations Director of Nutmeg Collective that runs Nutmeg & Clove (No. 6) says: “This recognition is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team. We are passionate about sharing Singapore’s story through our cocktails, and seeing it resonate with our guests is incredibly rewarding.”
South Korea’s Zest, which came in No. 2, while Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich rounded out the top five spots. Kuala Lumpur’s Penrose climbed 42 spots to the No. 8 spot, earning it the Nikka Highest Climber Award 2024.
The Campari One to Watch, which recognises up-and-coming bars, went to Dry Wave Cocktail Studio in Bangkok, while sustainablility-forward bar Fura, which made its debut at No. 42, also won the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award.
A new category this year is Bareksten Best Bar Design in Asia , which went to the 1920s-inspired Atlas (No. 49). The bar, which is known for its extensive specialist gin collection, also received the Remy Martin Legend of the List award.
The results were announced in a convivial ceremony at the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong, which was attended by bartenders, bar owners, drinks professionals and media. This marked the second consecutive year that Hong Kong is hosting the ceremony.
Two individual awards were announced in the lead-up to the award ceremony. The peer-voted Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award went to Dohyung ‘Demie’ Kim of sustainability-forward bar, Zest in Seoul, which has been on a steady ascend on the list since it started in December 2020. Tokyo’s Virtù at the Four Seasons Hotel at Otemachi received the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, in recognition of its exceptional service.
Both accolades came a year after Zest and Virtù won the Highest Climber Award and Highest New Entry Award respectively last year.
Mixed results for Singapore’s bars on the extended list
Prior to the award ceremony, the long list of No. 51 to 100 bars was unveiled last week. While Singapore had eight bars — the highest among other Asian cities — on it, a couple of them took a drastic tumble down the rankings. Most notably, 28 HongKong Street dropped 54 places down to No. 78, while Republic at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore slipped 41 places to No. 57. Manhattan Bar, which was once feted as Asia’s top bar in 2017, came in at No. 69, down from No. 21 last year. No Sleep Club made some progress by jumping to No. 60 (up from No. 74 last year).
The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list is run by UK-based media company, William Reed Business Media, which also publishes the World’s and Asia’s 50 Best lists in the bar, restaurant and hotel realms. More than 260 industry professionals across Asia, including bartenders, bar owners, drinks journalists and cocktail aficionados voted to determine The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list, which has been published since 2016. At least 25 percent of the voters have been refreshed to keep the rankings more dynamic.
One of the 50 Best Signature Bar Sessions, which featured top bars, Coa from Hong Kong, Sips from Barcelona and Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy. (Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh)
This year also marks the first time that Asia’s 50 Best Bars is organising the 50 Best Signature Sessions series, taking a leaf from its sister lists in the restaurants’ section. A total of five sessions, which brought together more than 24 bartenders from 14 bars around the world, have been organised across Hong Kong till 18 July. One of them, Tres Numeros Uno, which featured top bars, Coa from Hong Kong, Sips from Barcelona and Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy, attracted a snaking queue at the already popular Coa on 15 July.
The World’s 50 Best Bars will be held on 22 October in Madrid.
For the full list, visit here.
