Sultry Spanish bar Sips takes the crown in World’s 50 Best list

Shaken, stirred, and cooler than liquid nitrogen; the globe’s most intoxicating and inventive watering holes have been named at The World’s 50 Best Bars awards in Singapore, with two Australian outposts making the prestigious list.

Atmospheric Barcelona bar Sips rises two spots to take pole position in this year’s ranking, with reviewers praising its playful cocktails and “futuristic workstation”, which allows greater interaction between bartender and guest than a traditional bar.

A trio of Sip's mouth-watering cocktails.

New York’s Double Chicken Please and Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City nab two and three, respectively, while last year’s number one Paradiso – an uber-cool Barcelona speakeasy hidden behind a refrigerator – slips to a still-respectable fourth place.

The remainder of the top ten will be familiar to anyone who’s followed the rankings in recent years, with 1920s-style Connaught Bar in London gliding at #5 (up two places from 2022) and Little Red Door in Paris at #6, followed by Mexico City’s Licorería Limantour at #7.

Looks can be deceiving at Barcelona speakeasy Paradiso, accessible via fridge door.

Industrial-styled Tayer + Elementary in London – home of the signature ‘One Sip Martini’ – makes the cut at number eight, ahead of Alquímico in Cartagena at nine and Oslo’s Himkok at 10.

Proudly waving the Australian flag at number 15 are Sydney’s Maybe Sammy – rocketing its way up 14 places from last year, and Caretaker's Cottage in Melbourne at 23.

Maybe Sammy is once again named the best bar in Australia.

Now in its 15th year, the World’s 50 Best Bars is determined by a panel of 680 drink experts from across the globe. Offshoots include the Best Bars in Asia, the World’s Best Restaurants and newly-added Best Hotels, which recently anointed Brisbane’s The Calile as the top hotel in Australia.

The top 50 reveal follows the 51-100 rankings unveiled last week, with the minimalist Byrdi in Melbourne – where the drinks menu includes an array of cocktails based on a single ingredient – the sole Australian entrant at number 61.

Here is the full list.

The World’s 50 Best Bars

1. Sips, Barcelona
2. Double Chicken Please, New York
3. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
4. Paradiso, Barcelona
5. Connaught Bar, London
6. Little Red Door, Paris
7. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
8. Tayer + Elementary, London
9. Alquímico, Cartagena
10. Himkok, Oslo
11. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
12. Line, Athens
13. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
14. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
15. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
16. Salmon Guru, Madrid
17. Overstory, New York
18. Zest, Seoul
19. Mahaniyom, Cocktail Bar Bangkok
20. Coa, Hong Kong
21. Drink Kong, Rome
22. Hanky Panky, Mexico City
23. Caretaker's Cottage, Melbourne
24. Café La Trova, Miami
25. Baba au Rum, Athens
26. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
27. Katana Kitten, New York
28. Satan's Whiskers, London
29. Wax On, Berlin
30. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
31. Röda Huset, Stockholm
32. Sago House, Singapore
33. Freni e Frizioni, Rome
34. Argo, Hong Kong
35. A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
36. The SG Club, Tokyo
37. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
38. The Cambridge Public House, Paris
39. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
40. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
41. Scarfes Bar, London
42. 1930, Milan
43. Carnaval, Lima
44. L'Antiquario, Naples
45. Baltra Bar, Mexico City
46. Locale Firenze, Florence
47. The Clumsies, Athens
48. Atlas, Singapore
49. Jewel of the South, New Orleans
50. Galaxy Bar, Dubai