Hong Kong’s Bar Leone, once again, has been crowned Asia’s best bar.
In fact, the top three of Asia’s 50 Best Bars remained unchanged, with Seoul’s Zest and Singapore’s Jigger & Pony coming in second and third again. It was a momentous night for Bar Leone, the Italian-vibed spot that shook up the drinks world in 2024 when it debuted at the top of the list, barely over a year after opening. In the process, it dethroned Hong Kong’s Coa, which held the coveted distinction for three consecutive years.
On the night of July 16 in Macau, the first time the 10-year-old awards were celebrated in the former Portuguese colony, Bar Leone solidified its reputation. Known for outstanding negronis and drinks like its olive oil sour, the bar was cofounded by Lorenzo Antinori, the Rome-born bartender who worked in London and Seoul before joining award-winning Argo in Hong Kong’s Four Seasons.
Antinori recently teamed up with Spain-based Simone Caporale to open a second venue nearby in Hong Kong this month. Montana harks back to the golden age of Cuba and Miami in the 1970s, and its menu features classics such as the daiquiri, El Presidente and the Montana cocktail, the inspiration for its name. The bar is Caporale’s first bet in Asia. He was previously with London’s Artesian at The Langham, the world’s best bar from 2012 to 2015, and helped co-found Sips in Barcelona in 2021. The latter snagged first place on the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2023 and ranked No. 3 last year.
Although Hong Kong brought home the highest honours, Bangkok made a strong showing with seven spots in the top 50, including the debut of Dry Wave Cocktail Studio at No. 5, just behind its neighbouring Bar Us, which jumped up from No. 21 last year.
There was also notable representation from India: New Delhi’s Lair, also a new entry, came in at eighth place as the country’s best bar, and was joined on the list by Soka (28), Boilermaker (30), ZLB23 (31) and Bar Spirit Forward (37).
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Seoul’s Alice snagged the highest climber award, making the greatest rise from last year’s ranking at 46th place to 13th.
The list is determined by over 300 anonymous voters in the region, which covers 14 territories across the continent. It is an offshoot of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list, overseen by UK-based William Reed Business Media.
The Asian bars and lounges ranked 51 to 100 were announced earlier this month. The list, which included 14 new entries, featured six bars from Singapore, four from Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo each, and three from Hong Kong. — Bloomberg
