At a ceremony held last week at the Madrid Arena, the world’s bar industry heavyweights gathered from far and wide to celebrate the future of the global cocktail industry. With that, the picks for the 16th edition of the World’s 50 Best Bars Awards are in, and two Greater China bars (in Hong Kong, specifically) made the 2024 list.

As a lead-up (and follow-up) to last week’s awards, Madrid’s bar scene has been chock-full of guest shifts, pop-ups and masterclasses from lauded bars and equally famed mixologists from around the globe.

Hong Kong’s own Bar Leone clinched all the titles: best bar in Asia, the highest new entry, and – most importantly – the coveted No. 2 spot on the entire list. Bar Leone, which only opened a year ago, sits in Central and was founded by seasoned barman Lorenzo Antinori. Orbiting around the concept of ‘cocktail popolari’ – or ‘cocktails for the people’ – the revived classics-style libations are at once unpretentious and approachable, inspired by the neighborhood bars of Rome’s backstreets.

Aside from Bar Leone at No. 2, Coa has snagged a continuous spot at the World’s 50 Best table for six years running (since it debuted at No.49 in 2019), coming in this year at No. 18, and moving up two spots from last year. A shrine to all things agave, Coa houses an extensive collection of 200 handcrafted Latin American liquids spanning tequila, mezcal, raicilla, and more, a list curated by founder Jay Khan and his team. We are very lucky to have Coa's second outpost, Coa Shanghai, on our home turf.

World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 Full List

This year saw the 1-50 list cover 28 cities, with London taking home the most wins (four) in the top 50 list for Europe, and New York retaining its crown as the cocktail capital of the Americas, also with four venues in the top 50 list. Similarly in Asia, Singapore scored four spots on the list, followed by two in Bangkok and Tokyo each, respectively.

This year marks Mexico’s first go at winning the top spot, with Handshake Speakeasy taking home the gold. Bar Director Eric van Beek leads the charge at this Mexico City outpost where tradition and innovation collide in the old Hollywood Art Deco-outfitted space.

Before we reveal the full list, a little background (assuming you haven’t skipped ahead already). It is compiled based on anonymous voting by the World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, an influential, gender-balanced group of more than 800 bartenders, bar owners, drinks writers and cocktail aficionados across the region, who vote for what they believe constitutes a ‘best bar experience.’

Now – the moment you’ve been waiting for – here’s the full World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list:

Other Special Award Winners include:

• Bartender's Bartender: Iain McPherson (Panda & Sons, Edinburgh)
• Art of Hospitality: Caretaker’s Cottage (Melbourne)
• One To Watch: Cat Bite Club (Singapore)
• Industry Icon: Monica Berg (Tayēr + Elementary, London)
• Legend of the List: Florería Atlántico (Buenos Aires)
• Best New Opening: Superbueno (New York)
• Sustainable Bar: Zest (Seoul)
• Best Cocktail Menu: Lyaness (London)
• Highest New Entry: Bar Leone (Hong Kong)
• Highest Climber: The Cambridge Public House (Paris)
• Best Bar Design: Himkok (Oslo)

On October 8, the 51-100 list was also released, with one bar from the Chinese mainland making the list – Hope & Sesame at No. 63 – as well two in Hong Kong (Argo at No. 58 and The Savory Project at No. 82).

Famed for their inventive cocktails, whimsical presentation and standout team, the Guangzhou’s Hope & Sesame group has continually pushed boundaries and worked hard to put China's cocktail scene on the map.

Here’s the full list of 51-100 World’s 50 Best Bar winners 2024: