Jigger & Pony is Singapore's highest ranked bar on World's 50 Best Bars 2023, Barcelona's Sips is No. 1

Homegrown bar Jigger & Pony, which celebrated its 11th anniversary this year, is the highest rated bar from Singapore at No. 14 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023 list. It dropped two places from its No. 12 position last year. 

Other bars that flew the Singapore flag high include Sago House (No. 32) and Atlas (No. 48). It marks the first time that both bars cracked into the Top 50 list. A total of three bars from Singapore made it on the list - one more than last year.

Jigger & Pony was ranked No. 2 for the third consecutive year on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 list, which was unveiled in a ceremony in Hong Kong in July. Manhattan Bar in Conrad Singapore Orchard, which was ranked at No. 33 on the Top 50 List, was left trailing behind at No. 63 on the long list. Manhattan Bar in Conrad Singapore Orchard, which was ranked at No. 33 on the The World's Top 50 List last year, was left trailing behind at No. 63 on this year's long list.

Sips from Barcelona took the top spot, moving two slots up from its third position last year. The No. 2 spot went to Double Chicken Please from New York City, four spots up from its sixth spot last year. It is also the top bar in North America.

Last year's No. 1 bar Paradiso in Barcelona slipped to No. 4, while Handshake Speakeasy took the No. 3 spot, climbing eight slots up from its No. 11 position last year. Rounding out top five on the list is Connaught Bar in London.

About 1,000 people, comprising bartenders, mixologists and professionals from the drinks and hospitality industry, attended the tipple-happy ceremony, which was held in a former power station in the Southern part of Singapore. This marks the first time that the event was held in Asia. Last year, the ceremony was held in Barcelona, while the 2021 edition was in London.

Individual awards that were doled out during the evening include The Campari One To Watch Award, which recognises up-and-coming bars, which went to to Ladybee in Lima in Peru. The Bareksten Best Bar Design went to Singapore's Night Hawk, while the Ketel One Sustainable Bar was awarded to Roda Huset from Stockholm. Himkok from Oslo nabbed the Nikka Highest Climber Award at No. 10 - it was ranked No. 43 last year. Renato 'Tato' Giovannoi, a stalwart in the Argentine bar scene, was bestowed the Roku Industry Icon to much raucous cheers.

Related: Singapore cocktail scene looks set to shine ahead of unveiling of World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 main list

Strong Singapore showing on the 51 - 100 long list

Singapore has the most number of bars among its Asian counterparts on this year’s Long List, which ranked bars from 51 to 100. A total of five bars out of 14 from Asia made the cut. They are 28 HongKong Street (No. 59), Manhattan (No. 63) and Nutmeg & Clove at No. 64 (up from No. 74).

Two of Vijay Mudaliar’s bars are on the long list: They are plant-based bar Analogue Initiative (No.78, down from its debut at No. 65) and Native (No. 83). Other cities in Asia, such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Tokyo and Bangkok, have two bars each on the long list. Hong Kong’s Penicillin came in at No. 71, while Darkside squeezed in at No. 97. Thai bars Vesper (No. 55) and Tropic City (No. 66) made sure that Bangkok was represented. 

Related: 8 of the best tea cocktails in Singapore

Recognising the best talents in the bar industry 

Besides ranking the world’s best bars, The World’s 50 Best Bars has also given out a slew of individual awards in the months leading up to the main awards. They include GN Chan of Double Chicken Please in New York City, who won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2023, while Tres Monos in Buenos Aires, which is known for its rock & roll spirit and cocktails focused on Argentine ingredients, picked up the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award 2023. 

The influential list, which celebrates the best in the world of cocktails, is organised by British data and events company William Reed. A panel of 680 bartenders, consultants and media professionals (it's largest to date) from the drinks industry around the world casted their votes. Each voter is given seven votes based on their best bar experiences in the past 18 months.

Full List: The World's 50 Best Bars 2023

1. Sips - Barcelona, Spain

2. Double Chicken Please - New York, USA

3. Handshake Speakeasy - Mexico City, Mexico

4. Paradiso - Barcelona, Spain

5. Connaught Bar - London, UK

6. Little Red Door - Paris, France

7. Licorería Limantour - Mexico City, Mexico

8. Tayēr + Elementary - London, UK

9. Alquímico - Cartagena, Colombia 

10. Himkok - Oslo, Norway

11. Tres Monos - Buenos Aires, Argentina

12. Line - Athens, Greece 

13. BKK Social Club - Bangkok, Thailand 

14. Jigger & Pony - Singapore, Singapore

15. Maybe Sammy - Sydney, Australia 

16. Salmon Guru - Madrid, Spain

17. Overstory - New York, USA

18. Zest - Seoul, South Korea*

19. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar - Bangkok, Thailand

20. Coa - Hong Kong, Hong Kong

21. Drink Kong - Rome, Italy

22. Hanky Panky - Mexico City, Mexico

23. Caretaker’s Cottage - Melbourne, Australia*

24. Café La Trova - Florida, USA

25. Baba au Rum - Athens, Greece

26. CoChinChina - Buenos Aires, Argentina

27. Katana Kitten - New York, USA

28. Satan’s Whiskers - London, UK

29. Wax On - Berlin, Germany*

30. Florería Atlántico - Buenos Aires, Argentina

31. Röda Huset - Stockholm, Sweden 

32. Sago House - Singapore, Singapore

33. Freni e Frizioni - Rome, Italy*

34. Argo - Hong Kong, Hong Kong

35. A Bar with Shapes for a Name - London, UK

36. The SG Club - Tokyo, Japan

37. Bar Benfiddich - Tokyo, Japan

38. The Cambridge Public House - Paris, France*

39. Panda & Sons - Edinburgh, UK

40. Mimi Kakushi - Dubai, UAE*

41. Scarfes Bar - London, UK

42. 1930 - Milan, Italy

43. Carnaval - Lima, Peru

44. L'Antiquario - Naples, Italy

45. Baltra Bar - Mexico City, Mexico

46. Locale Firenze - Florence, Italy

47. The Clumsies - Athens, Greece

48. Atlas - Singapore, Singapore

49. Jewel of the South - New Orleans, USA*

50. Galaxy Bar - Dubai, UAE

*New entries to the list