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.

Jigger & Pony in Singapore is the city-state's best bar.
Jigger & Pony in Singapore is the city-state's best bar. 
Jigger & Pony

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

  1. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
  2. Bar Leone, Hong Kong
  3. Sips, Barcelona
  4. Tayer + Elementary, London
  5. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
  6. Line, Athens
  7. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
  8. Alquimico, Cartagena
  9. Zest, Seoul
  10. Paradiso, Barcelona
  11. Himkok, Oslo
  12. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
  13. Connaught Bar, London
  14. Double Chicken Please, New York City
  15. Overstory, New York City
  16. Lady Bee, Lima
  17. Baba au Rum, Athens
  18. Coa, Hong Kong
  19. The Cambridge Public House, Paris
  20. Tlecan, Mexico City
  21. Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne
  22. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
  23. Salmon Guru, Madrid
  24. Martiny’s, New York City
  25. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
  26. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
  27. Superbueno, New York City
  28. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore
  29. Satan’s Whiskers, London
  30. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
  31. Tan Tan, Sao Paulo
  32. Licoreria Limantour, Mexico City
  33. Drink Kong, Rome
  34. Jewel of the South, New Orleans
  35. Byrdi, Melbourne
  36. Locale Firenze, Florence
  37. Scarfes Bar, London
  38. Moebius Milano, Milan
  39. Bar Nouveau, Paris
  40. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
  41. Bar Us, Bangkok
  42. Virtu, Tokyo
  43. Atlas, Singapore
  44. La Sala de Laura, Bogota
  45. Roda Huset, Stockholm
  46. Floreria Atlantico, Buenos Aires
  47. Analogue Initiative, Singapore
  48. El Gallo Altenero, Guadalajara
  49. Danico, Paris
  50. 1930, Milan