Held on Oct. 17 in Asia, specifically Singapore, for the first time in its history, the ceremony once again celebrated the excellence of the international drinks sector, paying tribute to the bartenders, bar owners, and brands that lead the charge in shaping cocktail culture around the world.
Out of all the establishments from 28 cities across the world, Barcelona’s Sips emerged both as The Best Bar in Europe and The World’s Best Bar in 2023. This is the second time a bar from Barcelona has taken the top spot in as many years, following Paradiso’s triumph in 2022.
Sips is the second Barcelona bar to sit atop the list
Located in the heart of Barcelona’s L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample district, Sips combines elegant design with cutting-edge technique to create an unfussy and playful ‘drinkery house’ from two titans of the industry, Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez.
Drawing on the lessons of their already illustrious careers—Caporale was one half of the creative duo that led London’s Artesian to The World’s Best Bar title four times, while Álvarez spent almost a decade at Ferran and Albert Adrià’s revolutionary elBarri restaurant group—the duo’s disruptive approach to creative mixology shines through in innovative haute couture serves at pret-a-porter prices.
The bar’s atmospheric interior encompasses muted pastel and gold-accented seating orbiting a futuristic workstation in place of the traditional bar.
This design removes any barrier between guest and bartender, with the aim of centering the human aspect of service to create a multi-sensory, immersive drinking experience.
Says William Drew, 50 Best director of content: “As the brainchild of cocktail-world icons Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale, Sips was destined for greatness even before it rocketed into the list at No. 37 just a few short months after opening in 2021. The bar seamlessly translates contemporary innovation and technical precision into a playful cocktail programme, accompanied by the warmest hospitality, making it a worthy winner of The World’s Best Bar 2023 title.”
Asian bars shine, too
In the host city of Singapore, Jigger & Pony came in at No. 14 alongside Sago House (No. 32) and re-entry Atlas at No. 48. They are joined by Seoul newcomer Zest, the highest new entry, at No.18.
Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo each feature two bars in the list, with Bangkok’s BKK Social Club taking the top spot as The Best Bar in Asia at No. 13 and welcoming neighbor Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, entering at No.19.
Tokyo stalwart Bar Benfiddich (No. 37) is joined by The SG Club, which re-enters the list at No. 36. Hong Kong is represented by Coa at No. 20 and Argo at No. 34.