It seemed impossible, but they did it: despite last-minute restrictions, the top brass of the cocktail world met in London on Tuesday, December 7, to discover the winners of the most prestigious list in the world of mixology , the World's 50 Best Bars. Londoner Connaught, already the winner last year, is back in first place. And one could almost say that it is the tree that does not let us see the forest: they remain where they were, but everything else has changed.
The (winning) team from Connaught.
To complete the podium, we have in second place to another London bar, the Tayer & Elementary, by Monica Berg and Alex Kratena (He was an overall winner four years in a row with the Artesian). Behind these giants, a huge and very pleasant surprise: Spain takes third place thanks to paradise , the Born bar in Barcelona. Giacomo Giannotti and his team achieve a historic result both for themselves and for the national scene: Never before has a Spanish bar reached such a high position. For Spain, the position of Paradiso is the icing on the cake of a great night.
Two Schmucks, the "5-star Dive Bar" in Barcelona's Raval, remains just outside the top 10 (they are in 11) but move up 15 positions . And, also in Barcelona, Sips, the grand opening of the year, led by the true references in cocktails, Simone Caporale (ex Artesian) and Marc Álvarez, enters directly into position 37.
Two Schmucks.
Madrid, for its part, is not far behind: Salmon Guru is in 24th place and, above all, it wins the Art of Hospitality award . Little thing: this prestigious award is received by the 50 Best bar where customers are best received. If we add to this long list the presence of Savas (98) and 1862 Dry Bar (84) from Madrid on the list ranked 51st to 100th , the Spanish presence amounts to six bars, an absolutely historic result.
Salmon Guru celebrating the well-deserved Art of Hospitality award.
The other big winners also speak Spanish. Argentina places three bars, with Atlantic Florist in fifth, and Mexico no less than four, three of which are in the top 25. Additionally, Limantour wins the award for the best bar in North America for the first time , overtaking all its rivals from the United States.
In general, the most restrictive regions in terms of travel seem to have been penalized. Asia, the United States and Australia are still present, but with less weight than in other editions. This year, for the first time—and hopefully the last— judges were not required to vote for bars from other countries . The looser restrictions undoubtedly led European countries and Mexico.
A number of prizes were also awarded, in addition to the aforementioned Salmon Guru Art of Hospitality. Lynnette Marrero of Brooklyn's Llama Inn and co-founder of the charity Speed Rack, was named Bartenders' Bartender , Meanwhile he Industry Icon , normally intended for a highly experienced professional, was awarded to a very young Remy Savage . The rooster, owner of A Bar with Shapes for a Name (London) , has long been a reference for many bartenders for his experimental and conceptual work.
Thunderbolt, from Los Angeles, was named One to Watch , an award given to a bar from the 51-100 list that the organization believes will soon make the main list. The full list of awards is available on the World's 50 Best Bars website.
The Echo Park bar to keep under the radar.
In the end, World's 50 Best Bars 2021 It is an edition clearly marked by the pandemic . In 2020, the vote covered a period that ended in March of that cursed year. Therefore, all bars rewarded this year were for their work in harsh conditions. This certainly explains the many changes and surprises. Next year will be more like the 50Best from earlier times , and the judges will once again be —we hope— globetrotters wanting to take on the world. Meanwhile, they have left us a good indication of where to go to try the best of cocktails in the coming months, and luckily, we have had several bars very close to home.