Bar hoppers wake up, the new Asia's 50 Best Bars List is out!

Held annually, the Asia's 50 Best Bars Award is a ranking of bars in the region that outperform in various aspects from quality of drinks, service levels and other intangibles. The voting occurs anonymously amongst a panel of over 200 drink industry insiders and experts.  

Started in 2016, it's become a well-watched list by drink lovers globally and in Asia, offering the curious cocktail lover a tried-and-tested list of bars to bookmark and visit next.

Before our cocktails get warm, let's get into the highlights!  

1. Bar Leone makes history as Asia's Best Bar of 2024, the first time a new bar has cinched the top spot in the same year as its debut on the list.

While Bar Leone only just opened last year, this certainly wasn't the first rodeo for the man behind the bar. Bar Leone is a solo venture from the effortlessly charismatic Lorenzo Antinori, who was previously involved in setting up Charles H, Caprice Bar and Argo - all well respected bars in their own right. Bar Leone runs on the philosophy of ‘cocktail popolari,’ meaning ‘cocktails for the people’. Consequently, their cocktails are designed with an emphasis on speed, consistency and simplicity - with a lean towards the inclusion of Italian spirits.  

2. With 11 bars from Singapore featured on Asia's 50 Best, Singapore tops the list as the country with the most bars ranked, followed by Hong Kong with 9 bars ranked.

Jigger and Pony retains its position as Singapore's Best Bar once again, on the back of its new cocktail menu launch, Smash! - a collection of 20 cocktails celebrating "simple pleasures", yet are deceptively complex in technique and execution. Joining the ranks of well-established peers like Nutmeg & Clove, Sago House and Native Bar is Night Hawk, a 25-seat design and cocktail mecca, inspired by Edward Hopper’s iconic 1942 painting. Night Hawk was previously dubbed the One To Watch Award in last year's awards, and it's delivered on those expectations as a new entrant at 16th place.

Similarly, Hong Kong continues to cement itself on one of the must-visit destinations for innovative cocktails and great hospitality. The list of eight Hong Kong winners include Jay Khan's tequila-focused cocktail bar Coa, the Japanese Izakaya The Aubrey and Argo, an innovative and sustainability focused bar located in the Four Seasons Hong Kong. 

3. Malaysia's Penrose makes the highest climb with a jump to 8th position, rising a staggering 42 places from its 2023 debut at the 50th spot.

Penrose has quickly gained a reputation for serious craftsmanship in its cocktails. Led by Jon Lee, Penrose serves up immaculate and sophisticated cocktails in an intimate atmosphere. Intentionality is the name of the game here, which each of the fifteen core cocktails is designed around the five compound structures of Alcohol, Taste, Body, Dilution and Flavour. 

4. Hong Kong's The Savory Project was crowned Best New Opening, after tearing up the cocktail rulebook with its focus on the unconventionally savory, earthy and umami. 

5. South Korea's Zest continues to impress with its ranking at 2nd place, and with founder Dohyung ‘Demie’ Kim honoured as the winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2024. 

A sustainability-forward bar, Zest takes pride in making minimal-waste cocktails from locally sourced ingredients, including the Jeju Garibaldi - made from the Jeju orange (called hallabong) and even Gujwa village carrot. Expect minimalist decor and a prep lab that you can't help but watch and observe as you sip on some of the best cocktails Korea has to offer.

Having championed the Korean cocktail industry and a holistic focus on sustainability in the cocktail scene, Zest founder's Dohyung 'Demie' Kim was this year honored as the Altos Bartender's Bartender, a prestigious peer voted for accolade. 

6. This year's list saw the increased representation of more countries across Asia, with Vietnam's Haflington and Nepal's BARC breaking into the ranking!

This year marks the first time a bar from Vietnam and Nepal have broken into the top 50 ranking, with BARC from Nepal ranking at 39th and The Haflington from Vietnam ranking at 49th.

At BARC, a speakeasy in the heart of Kathmandu, the cocktail menu places focus on key local ingredients such as titaura (hog plum), khattu (liquorice) and aila (a Newari spirit made from fermented rice, grains and millet). Meanwhile, nestled between a dark alleyway between two busy Hanoi shopfronts, The Haflington serves a vintage-inspired drinks menu in an atmosphere inspired by Western Europe's grand museums. 

The list of Asia's 50 Best Bars, sorted by region for easier bookmarking:

(For a chronological list, see below section) 

Hong Kong:

Bar Leone (#1)

Coa (#4)

Argo (#9)

The Aubrey (#10)

Darkside (#17)

The Savory Project (#19)

Penicillin (#24)

Quinary (#26)

Mostly Harmless (#45)

South Korea:

Zest (#2)

Bar Cham (#20)

Alice (#46)

Le Chamber (#48)

Pine & Co (#50)

Singapore:

Jigger & Pony (#3)

Nutmeg & Clove (#6)

Sago House (#15)

Night Hawk (#16)

Offtrack (#25)

Native (#31)

Origin Bar (#32)

Analogue Initiative (#35)

Employees Only (#38)

Fura (#42)

Atlas (#49)

Japan:

Bar Benfiddich (#5)

Virtù (#11)

The SG Club (#23)

Craftroom (#28)

The Bellwood (#34)

Thailand:

BKK Social Club (#7)

Vesper (#13)

Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar (#18)

Bar Us (#21)

Malaysia:

Penrose (#8)

Bar Trigona (#36)

Reka (#41)

Indonesia:

The Cocktail Club (#12)

Pantja (#27)

Mainland China:

Hope & Sesame (#14)

CMYK (#43)

Macau:

The St. Regis Bar (Macau) (#22)

Sri Lanka:

Smoke and Bitters (#29)

Taiwan:

Vender (#30)

Bar Mood (#37)

The Public House (#44)

The Philippines:

The Curator (#33)

Nepal:

Barc (#39)

India:

ZLB23 (#40)

Vietnam:

The Haflington (#47)

The list of Asia's 50 Best Bars, sorted by ranking 

1. Bar Leone (Hong Kong)

2. Zest (Seoul)

3. Jigger & Pony (Singapore)

4. Coa (Hong Kong)

5. Bar Benfiddich (Tokyo)

6. Nutmeg & Clove (Singapore)

7. BKK Social Club (Bangkok)

8. Penrose (Kuala Lumpur)

9. Argo (Hong Kong)

10. The Aubrey (Hong Kong)

11. Virtù (Tokyo)

12. The Cocktail Club (Jakarta)

13. Vesper (Bangkok)

14. Hope & Sesame (Guangzhou)

15. Sago House (Singapore)

16. Night Hawk (Singapore)

17. Darkside (Hong Kong)

18. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar (Bangkok)

19. The Savory Project (Hong Kong)

20. Bar Cham (Seoul)

21. Bar Us (Bangkok)

22. The St. Regis Bar (Macao)

23. The SG Club (Tokyo)

24. Penicillin (Hong Kong)

25. Offtrack (Singapore)

26. Quinary (Hong Kong)

27. Pantja (Jakarta)

28. Craftroom (Osaka)

29. Smoke & Bitters (Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka)

30. Vender (Taichung, Taiwan)

31. Native (Singapore)

32. Origin Bar (Singapore)

33. The Curator (Manila)

34. The Bellwood (Tokyo)

35. Analogue Initiative (Singapore)

36. Bar Trigona (Kuala Lumpur)

37. Bar Mood (Taipei)

38. Employees Only (Singapore)

39. Barc (Kathmandu)

40. ZLB23 (Bengaluru, India)

41. Reka (Kuala Lumpur)

42. Fura (Singapore)

43. CMYK (Changsha, China)

44. The Public House (Taipei)

45. Mostly Harmless (Hong Kong)

46. Alice (Seoul)

47. The Halflington (Hanoi)

48. Le Chamber (Seoul)

49. Atlas (Singapore)

50. Pine & Co (Seoul)

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team