The winners are in! The World’s 50 Best Bars have been revealed for 2022, and the lineup is looking better than ever. From venues that deliver sophisticated takes on the classics to bars famous for their more outlandish cocktail creations, this year's top 10 bars are nothing short of fantastic. They’ve all made it onto our bucket list – but will they make it onto yours? Read on to find out.
The Best Bar in South America, Alquímico combines the best Colombian ingredients with a creative approach to cocktail development. It’s set over three floors, each with its own identity. The ground floor is a high-energy spot with dancing and a creative cocktail menu. On the first floor, international classics are given a Colombian twist; and the second floor boasts a tropical rooftop and a creative tiki bar. The venue sources its ingredients from its own farm of the same name, located in Colombia’s coffee region, which co-owner Jean Trinh purchased in 2019.
Take some 80s nostalgia and serve with a side of Japanese extravagance – that’s what New York joint Katana Kitten is all about. This underground Japanese dive bar specialises in scrumptious cold highballs and signature cocktails crafted from the best Asian-inspired ingredients, all served up alongside delectable small bites, skewers and perfect sandos.
Think of iconic London hotel bars, and you’re bound to think of The Connaught. A timeless establishment with just the right amount of modern touches, this elegant bar serves its drinks with a side of pageantry and flair. Here, a cocktail is not merely a refreshment; it’s an experience delivered with exquisite service. The venue’s immaculate attention to detail has made it the institution it is today.
Located in the Raval area of Barcelona, Two Schmucks is punk through and through, packed with the kind of irreverent charm that characterises the Catalonian city’s resurgent nightlife scene. The scruffy bar may not have the airs and graces of many establishments on the list, but it has an unapologetically no-nonsense approach to good drinks and good service. Clearly, it’s a strategy that’s paid off.
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Entering the list for the first time and earning Disaronno’s Highest New Entry award, Double Chicken Please has an incredibly creative approach to cocktail creation. Located on New York’s Lower East Side and known for transforming classic foods into whimsical liquid versions, reconstructing, redefining and rebuilding cocktails is what this establishment does best. Case in point: the bar’s famous Cold Pizza, made with Don Fulano tequila, Parmigiano Reggiano, burnt toast, tomato, basil honey and egg white.
As the name suggests, this cosy Parisian hideout – which has been on the 50 Best list almost every year for the last decade – is accessed via a red door in the city’s third arrondissement. Once you’re in, you’ll find an interior that’s as quirky as it is stylish, and an array of drinks whose simple names (“Carrot” being one of them) belie the serious amount of flavour wizardry that goes into making them. A “farm-to glass” model puts produce at the heart of the experience. You’ll even find portraits of the farmers who supplied the ingredients on the walls.
The Best Bar in North America for the second consecutive year, Mexico City’s Licorería Limantour ticks all the boxes, with atmosphere, drinks and service all on point. Since opening its doors in 2011, and with Benjamin Padrón and José Luis Leon at the helm, the team has created its fair share of weird and wonderful menus over the years, and many of its creations have become instant classics. Just take the Margarita al Pastor, for example: a stylish tipple that takes pineapple, coriander and Serrano pepper, and blends it with tequila and Cointreau.
Barcelona hotspot Sips is seriously en vogue right now (just see the months-long waiting list for proof). Those lucky enough to get a seat are in for something special; the cocktails here are some of the most unbelievably creative in the world. The menu is full of ingenious takes on classics, such as the Caipirinha, which is made with a masticator to round off bitterness. Then there’s the Daquiri Heliodora: order it and watch as a vintage hand-turned machine churns out a base of grapefruit “shaved ice” before a huge pipette descends and drops sherry into your glass.
London’s highest-ranked bar Tayēr + Elementary is a venue of two parts. If you’re looking for a quick, uncomplicated drink with colleagues, choose Elementary, where you’ll find minimalist, canteen-style furnishings and cocktails, like the seasonal One Sip Martini, on tap. If you’re after something a little more unusual and sophisticated, head through the partition to Tayēr, where recipes change daily and don’t have names (for accessibility reasons, the key ingredient is highlighted instead). With high-tech equipment and a dedication to flavour, it’s the cocktail equivalent of fine dining.
Of all the places you’d expect to come across The World’s Best Bar 2022, we’re guessing that “squirrelled away behind an old refrigerator in the back of a pastrami shop” is probably at the bottom of the list – but that’s exactly where you’ll find Paradiso. Complete with dramatic glass light fittings and a Gaudi-inspired curved-wood ceiling (it is in Barcelona’s trendy El Born district, after all), the bar serves meticulously crafted cocktails in delightfully outlandish vessels. The signature cocktail? The Supercool Martini, which uses “supercooled” gin to build an iceberg in your glass.
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