British bars lead the way in 2021's World's 50 Best Bars list
As the hospitality industry begins its staggering recovery from the effects of global lockdowns and the pandemic, there's some cause for celebration in Britain, as the highly anticipated list of the World’s 50 Best Bars was released, with three British bars making the list, including the top two entries.
The overall winner, at the very top of the list for the second year in a row, is London’s renowned Connaught Bar in Mayfair’s The Connaught hotel. The Cubist bar, designed by the late David Collins and in operation since 2008, was lauded for staying “true to its principles of presenting artful, modern drinks with graceful service in an elegant setting.”
The Connaught has been a mainstay of the list since 2010, usually appearing in the top five, before its win in 2020. Mark Sansom, content editor for The World’s 50 Best Bars, singled out Agostino Perrone, the venue’s director of mixology (as well as head mixologist Giorgio Bargiani and bar manager Maura Milia), for particular praise, lauding their “continued pursuit of excellence, which is encapsulated in the way they have developed and modernised the Martini cocktail.”
The number two position on the list is another win for Britain with Tayēr + Elementary. Located in the City Of London, it could scarcely be more different from The Connaught, highlighting the diversity of London’s bar scene.
While The Connaught is regarded for its adherence to tradition and luxury, at which a trolley with exquisite martini ingredients is wheeled from table to table, Tayēr + Elementary strives for modernistic minimalism and ultra-chic ingredients - where else would you find a ‘whey sour’?
The awards are sponsored by sparkling water brand Perrier, whose international business unit director, Elisa Gregori, told the Telegraph of her drive to support the industry after it has been ravaged by the pandemic. "It’s been a tough two years for everyone, but we know that our friends in hospitality have been particularly hard hit," she said. "It’s great to get back to the magic of mixology and the awards is an opportunity to get an up-close look at some of the exciting, and often unbelievable, creations taking shape in the industry. We hope the announcement of the list will inspire some people to go and explore what’s on offer and support the industry so that they can keep innovating. If we can do anything to help inspire the best bars in the world to keep doing what they do best, we are first to raise a hand.”
The rest of the top five was rounded out by other mainstays of the World’s 50 Best Bars list: The Clumsies in Athens (3), Paradiso in Barcelona (4), and Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires (5), while the final British bar to make the top 50 was another in London; Kwānt just off Regent Street, which appeared in the list at 31, despite having been closed for most of the year due to pandemic-induced trading difficulties.
Still, in spite of Britain taking several of the top spots, this year’s list does make clear just how challenged the country’s hospitality sector has been over the past year - in 2020, British bars took nine places in the top 50.
Previous names such as London’s Lyanness and Swift dropped down onto the longlist of 100 bars, while other winners such as Panda & Sons in Edinburgh and the Savoy’s American Bar have disappeared entirely.
It’s not just London which has been singled out for success either though. A ‘speakeasy’ in Cardiff, Lab 22, wins the awards’ inaugural Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu title.
The unassuming bar is located a five-minute walk from the city’s station and just round the corner from the local Wetherspoons and serves a revolving menu of just 12 single-serve ‘molecular mixology’ cocktails and two sharing cocktails all themed around scientific advancements.
The menu features drinks based on artificial intelligence, the internet, and even time-travel (perhaps inspired by Cardiff’s association with a certain TARDIS-dweller.)
The World’s 50 Best Bars list, but compiled by a group of 600 drinks industry experts, including writers, cocktail connoisseurs, and bartenders, is regarded as a real who’s who of the trade, though it has been criticised in the past for its narrow focus: the top spot has never been awarded to a bar outside either London or New York City.
The World's 50 Best Bars 2021
Connaught Bar, London, UK
Tayēr + Elementary, London, UK
Paradiso, Barcelona, Spain
The Clumsies, Athens, Greece
Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Licorería Limantour, Mexico City, Mexico
Coa, Hong Kong, China
El Copitas, St Petersburg, Russia
Jigger & Pony, Singapore, Singapore
Katana Kitten, New York, US
Two Schmucks, Barcelona, Spain
Hanky Panky, Mexico City, Mexico
Insider Bar, Moscow, Russia
Baba au Rum, Athens, Greece
Manhattan, Singapore, Singapore
Atlas, Singapore, Singapore
Zuma, Dubai, UAE
The SG Club, Tokyo, Japan
Drink Kong, Rome, Italy
1930, Milan, Italy
Presidente, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia
Cantina OK!, Sydney, Australia
Salmon Guru, Madrid, Spain
Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City, Mexico
No Sleep Club, Singapore, Singapore
Camparino in Galleria, Milan, Italy
Café La Trova, Miami, US
Little Red Door, Paris, France
Dante, New York, US
Kwānt, London, UK
Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo, Japan
Tres Monos, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Attaboy, New York, US
Lucy’s Flower Shop, Stockholm, Sweden
MO Bar, Singapore, Singapore
Sips, Barcelona, Spain
Baltra Bar, Mexico City, Mexico
Sober Company, Shanghai, China
Tjoget, Stockholm, Sweden
Epic, Shanghai, China
Charles H, Seoul, South Korea
Tippling Club, Singapore, Singapore
Above Board, Melbourne, Australia
Galaxy Bar, Dubai, UAE
Re, Sydney, Australia
Sidecar, New Delhi, India
Union Trading Company, Shanghai, China
DarkSide, Hong Kong, China
Quinary, Hong Kong, China
