Connaught bar in Mayfair is named best bar in the world at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021

1. Connaught bar, London, UK

2. Tayēr + Elementary, London, UK

3. Paradiso, Barcelona,  Spain

4. Athens: Greece’s Clumsies

5. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires Argentina

6 Licorería Limantour, Mexico City Mexico

7. Coa. Hong Kong. China

8. El Copitas, St Petersburg, Russia

9. Jigger & Pony, Singapore, Singapore

10. Katana Kitten, New York, USA

11. Barcelona, Spain: Two Schmucks

12. Hanky Panky, Mexico City, Mexico

Moscow, Russia 13. Insider Bar

14. Baba au Rum, Athens, Greece

15. Manhattan, Singapore, Singapore

16. Atlas, Singapore, Singapore

17. Zuma, Dubai, UAE

18. Tokyo, Japan: The SG Club

19. Drink Kong, Rome, Italy

20. 1930, Milan, Italy

21. Presidente, Buenos Aires, Argentina

22. Maybe Sammy in Sydney, Australia

23. Cantina OK! Sydney, Australia

24. Madrid, Spain – Salmon Guru

25. Mexico City, Mexico, Handshake Speakeasy

26. No Sleep Club, Singapore, Singapore

27.Camparino in Galleria,  Milan, Italy

28. Café La Trova, Miami,  USA

29. Little Red Door in Paris, France

30. Dante, New York,USA

31. Kwānt, London, UK

32. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo, Japan

33. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires, Argentina

34. Attaboy New York USA

35. Lucy’s Flower Shop Stockholm, Sweden

36. MO Bar, Singapore, Singapore

37. Sips, Barcelona (Spanish)

38. Baltra Bar, Mexico City, Mexico

39. Sober Company Shanghai, China

40. Tjoget Stockholm Sweden

41. Epic, Shanghai (China)

42. Charles H, Seoul, South Korea

43. Tippling Club, Singapore, Singapore

44. Above Board Melbourne, Australia

45. Galaxy Bar Dubai UAE

46. Re, Sydney (Australia)

47. Sidecar, New Delhi, India

48. Union Trading Company Shanghai China

49. DarkSide Hong Kong, China

50.Quinary Hong Kong China

Connaught Bar in London

Connaught Bar was a triumph right from the beginning. Every time it opens, Connaught Bar manages to get closer to perfectionism. Connaught Bar is the ideal London hotel bar. However, its elegance, poise and leadership by Agostino Peroni, Giorgio Bargiani, and Maura Milia give it an Italian flair. The bar has a high standard of excellence, from the warm welcome at the entrance to the cubist-designed decor by David Collins, through the attentive service and cocktail creations that blur the line between modernism and classicism.

Dry Martini is, to the apostles of the bar, the main attraction. The Dry Martini arrives by trolley, and you can use it as your stage. Thrown between shaker and mixing glass is your choice of gin – try the bar’s own, distilled at the hotel – and bitters from an aroma-daubed flavour card inspired by perfumeries. The new Impressions menu will be available starting January 2022. This takes its inspiration from those who have had the opportunity to experience the people and places that shape us. The Eclipse cocktail stands out – from the white page and the black tables. The Eclipse cocktail, inspired by photography’s contrasts, is housed inside a stunning white glass that has been painted black so that the liquid doesn’t fade. This gin cocktail leaves a lasting impression just as the Connaught.

 Tayēr + Elementary, London

A venue of two parts, Elementary is the industrially styled space you first encounter: a casual all-day spot where cocktails are prepared in seconds, thanks to a draught system, while the bar’s own-label wine and beer are a frequent presence. While most visits start with the bar’s signature One Sip Martini, the menu here takes in other spins on familiar classics, with a weekly rotating menu in sync with the seasons and their bounty. Everything is served without garnish or affectation in identically squat glasses – here the deliciousness of the liquid does the talking.

Through the partition at Tayēr, the drinks are even more loquacious, with esoteric ingredients harnessed in a daily carousel of new recipes; always in step with the seasons and the kitchen’s latest creations. Be it here in Tayēr’s open kitchen-like theatre, or a fleeting drink in the bustling, bar industry-strewn Elementary, this is a venue through which the small details of the future of bartending have been foreseen – and forensically executed.

 Lab 22, Cardiff

Lab 22, a bar just above Greggs, is praised for creating art, sustainability, and ingenious cocktails. It was awarded the Siete Misterios Award for Best Cocktail Menu. This new Cardiff establishment is continually pushing the boundaries in mixology, design, and creativity. 

Lab 22’s recent edition takes cues from the future of science and invention. Cocktails are inspired by urban farming (Concrete Daisy uses roof honey) or marine exploration (Point Nemo has sea-salted coco fish scales). Each page has beautiful art and additional information such as science behind it, which can be accessed via QR codes.

Lab 22’s ideological values: accessibility, transparency and community, are present throughout the menu. The text is available in both English and Welsh to accommodate its multilingual guests and the flavour combinations are explained in a ‘drop matrix’ in the centre of the menu, to aid drink decision-making. Every cocktail contains ingredients that are locally grown and sourced. The sharing drinks support selected charities such as Cardiff Foodbank, The Drinks Trust, and other funds.

Guests are also encouraged to support more of the city’s local businesses through the ‘decision tree’ flowchart at the denouement of the menu, which suggests where drinkers might want to head to next.

KWANT London

Descending the steps and opening the doors to Erik Lorincz’s Kwānt is to find yourself in a different time, a different place. It’s hard to put your finger on just when and where – there are brushstrokes of the 1940s classic Casablanca, but in the herringbone-patterned carpet, palms, rattan chairs and bamboo-styled ceilings are shades of tiki too. 

This bar is five stars because of its impeccable service provided by white-jacketed bartenders. 

And the name Kwānt? It’s a derivative of ‘quaint’ and, in feel, decor, and the vintage spirits collection it is just that, though the cocktails have one foot in the past and one in the future.