At the World’s Best 50 Bars 2021, the Connaught in London takes the top spot for the second year in a row. Closer to home, we have Jigger & Pony scoring ninth place, Manhattan taking 15th and more

For the second year running, Connaught Bar has been crowned king of the hospitality scene.

The upscale London cocktail joint, which sits within the storied five-star Connaught Hotel, has taken the top spot in the World’s 50 Best Bars rankings. Headed up by Agostino Perrone, the bar’s director of mixology, the Mayfair mainstay has garnered a rep for its signature Martini for Two, which is built around Connaught Bar’s own gin and served in crystal glasses on a special drinks trolley.

“Connaught Bar, we salute you – to be named The World’s Best Bar for two consecutive years is a feat that previously only two bars have achieved in the awards’ 13-year history,” Mark Sansom, content editor for the World’s 50 Best Bars, said in a statement. “It’s a testament to Ago Perrone and his team’s continued pursuit of excellence, which is encapsulated in the way they have developed and modernised the Martini cocktail.”

In addition to the classic London libations, Connaught Bar also slings a spate of interesting new concoctions created by Perrone and his head mixologist Giorgio Bargiani. The venue itself, which is managed by Maura Milia, has elegance in spades. Designed by David Collins Studio, it evokes English and Irish Cubist art of the ’20s, with a cool gray bar, silver leaf walls and candlelit tables. It’s easy to see why it scored the top spot.

Trailing just behind Connaught Bar, Tayēr + Elementary claimed second place on this year’s World’s Best Bars list. Located just across the city, the London newcomer, which opened in 2019, takes a two-pronged approach, serving both casual cocktails on tap and more experimental tipples. It even offers a one-sip Martini.

Third place, meanwhile, was awarded to Paradiso in Barcelona, Spain. This swanky watering hole is perhaps best known for its Volcano Negroni, which is served alongside a mini dry ice volcano erupting over the glass. The Clumsies in Athens, Greece – famous for pouring The Caregiver with Ketel One vodka, coleslaw sauerkraut, raisin and pistachio milk – scored fourth place. Rounding out the top five, legendary speakeasy Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires that offers some of Argentina’s best cocktails.

Closer to home, the highest-ranking Singaporean bar was Jigger & Pony, which has retained its ninth position from last year. Atlas, which sits within the Art Deco-styled Parkview Square, dropped from fourth place to 16th this year. Others include Manhattan (15th), No Sleep Club (26th), Mo Bar (36th) and Tippling Club (43rd).

The annual World’s 50 Best Bars list is organised by William Reed Business Media, which also produces The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The awards are voted on by more than 600 industry experts worldwide, including bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists. This year’s list, the 13th edition, features bars from across 17 countries, with 18 new entries among the top 50.

“It’s been another incredibly tough year for hospitality and the industry’s resilience and togetherness through these challenges is humbling,” Sansom added. “We hope that the positive stories around the bars’ success in the awards will help to drive vital business in the weeks and months to come.”

Here’s the full list

1. Connaught Bar, London
2. Tayēr + Elementary, London
3. Paradiso, Barcelona
4. The Clumsies, Athens
5. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
6. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
7. Coa, Hong Kong
8. El Copitas, St Petersburg
9. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
10. Katana Kitten, New York
11. Two Schmucks, Barcelona
12. Hanky Panky, Mexico City
13. Insider Bar, Moscow
14. Baba au Rum, Athens
15. Manhattan, Singapore
16. Atlas, Singapore
17. Zuma, Dubai
18. The SG Club, Tokyo
19. Drink Kong, Rome
20. 1930, Milan
21. Presidente, Buenos Aires
22. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
23. Cantina OK!, Sydney
24. Salmon Guru, Madrid
25. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
26. No Sleep Club, Singapore
27. Camparino in Galleria, Milan
28. Café La Trova, Miami
29. Little Red Door, Paris
30. Dante, New York
31. Kwānt, London
32. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
33. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
34. Attaboy, New York
35. Lucy’s Flower Shop, Stockholm
36. Mo Bar, Singapore
37. Sips, Barcelona
38. Baltra Bar, Mexico City
39. Sober Company, Shanghai
40. Tjoget, Stockholm
41. Epic, Shanghai
42. Charles H, Seoul
43. Tippling Club, Singapore
44. Above Board, Melbourne
45. Galaxy Bar, Dubai
46. Re, Sydney
47. Sidecar, New Delhi
48. Union Trading Company, Shanghai
49. DarkSide, Hong Kong
50. Quinary, Hong Kong