London and New York have been overshadowed by a new global cocktail capital: Barcelona, home of the newly crowned world’s best bar, Paradiso. It’s the first time since the World’s 50 Best Bars list was started in 2009 that a bar outside of London or New York has taken the number one spot.
Paradiso, owned by Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader, is a Mediterranean-style speakeasy located in Barcelona’s trendy El Born district. To enter, patrons must pass through the freezer door of a pastrami bar. This year, Paradiso moved up from the number three spot.
“It’s a great honor to win, and it’s also a big responsibility,” said Giannotti. “We will work hard to live up to being the best and stick to our principles. Our cocktails strive to push creativity.”
Barcelona is also home to two other bars in the top ten of the 2022 list: Sips, which jumped from number 37 to number three and Two Schmucks, which claimed the seventh spot.
Other winning cities included Madrid, with Salmon Guru at number 15, Rome with Drink Kong at number 16, and Buenos Aires with Florería Atlántico at number 18.
Outside of Europe, Mexico City had four bars in the top 50, including Licorería Limantour at number four, and Bangkok, Singapore, and Hong Kong each had two bars listed. Dubai also made a strong showing with three bars in the top 50.
The winners were determined by votes from bartenders, bar owners, drinks writers, and cocktail experts. The full list of the top 50 bars can be found on the World’s 50 Best Bars website.
According to Mark Sansom, content director of The World’s 50 Best Bars, bar-goers are now more likely to stay in one place due to the pandemic. As a result, bars are offering more live entertainment and emphasizing their food programs to keep patrons engaged. Additionally, there is a blurring of lines between food and drink, with techniques and flavors traditionally associated with cooking now being incorporated into cocktails.
London, although dethroned from the top spot, still had five bars in the top 50, including The Connaught Bar at number eight. New York rebounded from a less impressive showing in 2021 and was home to six top 50 bars, including Double Chicken Please, which won the Highest New Entry award in its first year.
Overall, Europe had the most top bars compared to any other region, with 19 bars on the list.
After the challenges of the past couple of years, Sansom emphasized the importance of hospitality, stating that bars are now more conscious of the value of each customer and their experience in the establishment.
Image: Paradiso in Barcelona, the number one bar on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for 2022 and winner of the Best Bar in Europe.
