The Italian-vibed, relaxed spot in Central offers drinks like an Olive Oil Sour, Yuzu Gimlets and perfect Negronis, both classic and adventurous versions, made by veteran bartender Lorenzo Antinori. - Bloomberg
HONG KONG: For three years the No. 1 bar in Asia stayed exactly the same. It was Coa in Hong Kong.
Now, a brand new place has has grabbed the top spot: Bar Leone. The Italian-vibed, relaxed spot in Central offers drinks like an Olive Oil Sour, Yuzu Gimlets and perfect Negronis, both classic and adventurous versions, made by veteran bartender Lorenzo Antinori.
The bar made history for being the first brand-new entry to be No. 1; it’s been open for just over a year.
At the awards ceremony, which took place at the Rosewood Hong Kong on Tuesday (July 16), there were wild cheers for Antinori, who was wearing a Bar Leone T-shirt with a logo modeled after the 7-Eleven convenience store.
"It is just an insane feeling,” said Antinori just after Bar Leone was announced as the winner. "We opened a bar like a year or just over a year ago. And we're a small, small company. We are just three people that decided to pursue this dream.”
The No. 2 bar is Zest in Seoul, where the specialty is locally minded cocktails from Dohyung Kim, who also won the Bartenders’ Bartender Award this year.
Coa, which specialises in Mexican-focused agave spirits and drinks like Ancho Highball, is now No. 4.
In the battle of best bar cities, Singapore has 11 places on the top 50 list. Hong Kong has 9. Last year, Singapore also dominated the Top 50 list, with 11 places in the top 50.
This is the ninth year for Asia’s 50 Best Bars list; the rankings are based on the votes of about 265 people from the drinks and hospitality world, including bar tenders, bar owners and drink writers. The list is owned and operated by William Reed, which also produces the World’s 50 Best Bars and Restaurants lists.
Sustainability was the constant refrain throughout the awards ceremony. The official sustainability award went to newcomer Fura in Singapore, No. 42. Among the innovative, attention-getting drinks they’re mixing: mealworm margaritas and jellyfish martinis.
In Bangkok, at No. 18-ranked Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar whole ingredients are the feature, like the pomelo cocktail that includes the leaves, skin and pulp. "We showcase the resourceful cocktail - a simple idea where we maximize the ingredient. So we use every part of that ingredient, or every or parts of that ingredient in different ways,” says co-owner and bartender Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn.
Zest, the No. 2 ranked bar, also has a sustainable focus; the name stands for zero waste, according to co-founder Kim.
That extends beyond the drinks, which feature fruit and herbs from the bar’s farm; he also has implemented flexible work hours for his staff. "So our philosophy of sustainability is not only for the environment, we want to make better conditions for the team to work,” says Kim.
Among the trends Emma Sleight, head of content at 50 Best, sees on this year’s list is locally minded bars, in contrast to high-styled hotel boites. "A new style of bar is the neighborhood style bar, which is kind of relaxed.
Sleight also called out the far-ranging drinks culture in host city Hong Kong: "It's got a diverse cosmopolitan guest approach to gastronomy.”
The bars and lounges ranked 51 through 100 were announced earlier in July. Singapore had the most entries, 8, including Cat Bite Club, No. 77, a secret bar where the focus is rice-based and agave spirits.
Bangkok, which has also been getting more attention for its ambitious restaurant scene, had the second most spots with 6.
Here are the winners with last year’s ranking in parenthesis. New additions are marked by an asterisk.
1. Bar Leone, Hong Kong
*2. Zest, Seoul (5)
3. Jigger & Pony, Singapore (2)
4. Coa, Hong Kong (1)
5. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo (4)
6. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore (7)
7. BKK Social Club, Bangkok, Thailand (3)
8. Penrose, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (50)
9. Argo, Hong Kong (8)
10. The Aubrey, Hong Kong (17)
11. Virtu, Tokyo (20)
12. The Cocktail Club, Jakarta, Indonesia (19)
13. Vesper, Bangkok, Thailand (12)
14. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou, China (39)
15. Sago House, Singapore (10)
16. Night Hawk, Singapore
*17. Darkside, Hong Kong (9)
18. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok, Thailand (22)
19. The Savory Project, Hong Kong
*20. Bar Cham, Seoul (13)
21. Bar Us, Bangkok
*22. The St. Regis Bar, Macau
*23. The SG Club, Tokyo (14)
24. Penicillin, Hong Kong (26)
25. Offtrack, Singapore
*26. Quinary, Hong Kong (31)
27. Pantja, Jakarta, Indonesia (29)
28. Craftroom, Osaka
*29. Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka (40)
30. Vender, Taichung, Taiwan (41)
31. Native, Singapore (42)
32. Origin bar, Singapore
*33. The Curator, Manila, Philippines (34)
34. The Bellwood, Tokyo (49)
35. Analogue Initiative, Singapore (15)
36. Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (36)
37. Bar Mood, Taipei
*38. Employees Only, Singapore (30)
39. Barc, Kathmandu, Nepal
*40. ZLB23, Bengaluru, India
*41. Reka, Kuala Lampur
*42. Fura, Singapore
*43. CMYK, Changsha, China
*44. The Public House, Taipei, Taiwan (43)
45. Mostly Harmless, Hong Kong (33)
46. Alice, Seoul (28)
47. The Haflington, Hanoi
*48. Le Chamber, Seoul (25)
49. Atlas, Singapore (27)
50. Pine and Co, Seoul. – Bloomberg
