The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 highlights venues from 26 cities, with Barcelona’s Paradiso taking the No. 1 position as both Best Bar in Europe and World’s Best Bar. This marks the first time the top honor has gone to a bar outside the historical cocktail powerhouses of New York and London.
The 2022 ranking includes bars from 26 cities and introduces 14 new entries across Athens, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Dubai, Florence, Hong Kong, Lisbon, London, Naples and New York. For the first time, venues from Florence, Lisbon and Naples appear among the World’s 50 Best Bars.
© The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022
The list is produced from votes cast by The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, a panel of more than 650 drinks experts with equal gender representation. The Academy includes bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists from around the globe and is divided into 28 geographic regions. Each region is led by an Academy Chair who appoints local voters, so the distribution reflects the development and concentration of quality bars in each area. Voters submit seven choices based on their best bar experiences over the previous 18 months; if travel has been impossible, they may instead submit five votes from their home country or SAR. Voting is anonymous, confidential and independently audited by Deloitte. The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022, sponsored by Perrier, was revealed at a live awards ceremony in Barcelona last month.
© The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022
Tucked behind an antique refrigerator in a modest pastrami shop in Barcelona’s El Born district, Paradiso delivers a masterful speakeasy experience that blends technical precision and creativity with a playful spirit. Behind an understated exterior, the main bar opens into an exuberant space featuring dramatic glass light fittings and a curved-wood ceiling inspired by Gaudí. The bar presents meticulously crafted cocktails in imaginative vessels; signature serves like the Supercool Martini use “supercooled” gin to create an iceberg in the glass and are finished tableside to personalise the guest experience.
New York’s Double Chicken Please debuts at No. 6 and receives the Disaronno Highest New Entry award. Founded by GN Chang and Faye Chen, the Lower East Side venue is a standout dual-concept space that draws inspiration from food, drink and design, and has quickly gained international attention for its inventive approach.
© The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022
BKK Social Club in Bangkok, placed at No. 14, earns the London Essence Best New Opening award for entering the list at the highest position among venues that opened during the voting period. Led by industry veteran Philip Bischoff, the bar channels influences from Buenos Aires and Bangkok within the glamorous, garden-inspired setting of the Four Seasons on the Chao Phraya River.
Barcelona’s Sips climbs 34 places to No. 3 and wins the Nikka Highest Climber Award. Founders Simone Caporale and Marc Alvarez have built an immersive venue known for theatrical, showstopping cocktails served in elaborate glassware, attracting international acclaim.
In Mexico City, Licorería Limantour ranks at No. 4 and is honoured as the Rémy Martin Legend of the List, an award recognizing the bar that has shown the most consistent performance across the years; it can be won only once. A mainstay of Mexico City’s nightlife for more than a decade, co-founder Benjamin Padrón and his team are celebrated for their vibrant atmosphere and refined cocktails. Licorería Limantour is also recognised as the Best Bar in North America.
The complete World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list was announced at the Barcelona ceremony and showcases the global diversity and creativity of today’s cocktail scene, from long-established icons to exciting newcomers shaping the future of bar culture.