The list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022, sponsored by Perrier, was announced at an in-person awards ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand. The ceremony, which was held in front of a live audience of 500 guests for the first time since 2019, revealed the highly-anticipated countdown that features bars from 16 cities across Asia, culminating in Coa, Hong Kong, being named as The Best Bar in Asia, sponsored by Perrier.
The seventh edition of the annual awards was a chance for Asia’s bar community to come together after a hiatus in live events, as the region emerges from the pandemic’s many challenges and international travel resumes once more. The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list and surrounding programme aims to recognise the immense talent, resilience and constant innovation evident across Asia’s bar landscape.
The Cocktail Club burst onto Jakarta’s vibrant cocktail scene in 2021 and is already making waves as this year’s Best Bar in Indonesia. Found on the first floor above a bistro in the bustling Senopati neighbourhood, the bar’s veteran bartending team has created a tantalising menu that features local ingredients and brings new flavour combinations to the table.
Their the Batavia Milk Punch, made with cap tikus – a spirit made from the distilled sap of palm trees – spiced rum, oolong tea millk, strawberry and pineapple, or the Sopi Susu, the latest signature from head bartender Mirwansyah ‘Bule’, mixing fortified marshmallow, gin and cacao cream. For less adventurous guests, The Cocktail Club is famed for its take on the classics: take an Irish coffee or a dry martini, which is poured straight from the freezer and accompanied by a perfectly soft-boiled quail’s egg.
Meanwile, Coa in Hong Kong secures the No.1 spot for the second year in a row and is named The Best Bar in Asia, sponsored by Perrier, and The Best Bar in Hong Kong. It is the second bar to achieve this back-to-back feat, after Manhattan, Singapore, in 2017 and 2018.
At No.2 is Jigger & Pony, Singapore, winning The Best Bar in Singapore for the second year in a row. Coming in at No.3 is Argo in Hong Kong, a new entrant to the list and winner of the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award. The No.4 spot belongs to another new entrant, Tesouro from Goa, which wins the London Essence Best New Opening and The Best Bar in India. Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich comes in at No.5, moving up four places from last year’s No.9 and takes the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award and The Best Bar in Japan
The annual list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars is created from the votes of Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy — an influential group of 250 industry leaders that include bartenders, bar owners, drinks writers, educators, and cocktail aficionados. Voting for Asia’s 50 Best Bars is based on the same model as The World’s 50 Best
Bars, but in this case, all voters are based in Asia. Prior to 2021, each Academy member voted for six bars, with at least two of these from outside their home country/SAR.
Since the global pandemic has restricted international travel, the voting rules have been revised to reflect this situation. In 2022 voters could nominate a total of seven bars, including up to five from their home country, but with no obligation to vote for bars outside of their home country/SAR if they have been unable to travel.
50 Best works with professional services consultancy Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner to help protect the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars. The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award is independently adjudicated by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, 50 Best Sustainability Partner for the past nine years
