Sips in Barcelona named World's Best Bar

It is the second bar from Barcelona to take the top spot in as many years following Paradiso, which claimed the title in 2022 and which is ranked fourth this year.

London retains its status as one of the world’s cocktail capitals with five bars on the list, more than any other city, including two in the top 10: Connaught Bar, rising three places to number five, and Tayēr + Elementary at number eight They are joined by east London neighbours Satan’s Whiskers at number 28 and A Bar with Shapes for a Name at number 35, with Scarfes Bar coming in at number 41.

Edinburgh’s Panda & Sons also returns to the list at Number 39.

Located in the heart of Barcelona’s L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample district, Sips is described as combining ‘elegant design with cutting-edge technique to create an unfussy and playful ‘drinkery house’ from two titans of the industry, Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez’.

The venue draws on the lessons of the founders’ already illustrious careers – Caporale was one half of the creative duo that led London’s Artesian to The World’s Best Bar title a record four times, while Álvarez spent almost a decade at Ferran and Albert Adrià’s revolutionary elBarri restaurant group.

“As the brainchild of cocktail-world icons Marc Álvarez and Simone Caporale, Sips was destined for greatness even before it rocketed into the list at No.37 just a few short months after opening in 2021. The bar seamlessly translates contemporary innovation and technical precision into a playful cocktail programme, accompanied by the warmest hospitality, making it a worthy winner of The World’s Best Bar 2023 title,” says William Drew, director of content at 50 Best.

The 2023 list of The World’s 50 Best Bars features bars from 28 cities with 11 new entries across Bangkok, Berlin, Dubai, London, Melbourne, New Orleans, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Singapore and Stockholm

“We have once again seen the number of cocktail cities represented here increase, and hope this list continues to ignite the spark of wanderlust for cocktail lovers around the world,” adds Drew.

The American Bar at Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Scotland, was awarded the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award for its Book of Berries menu.

Inspired by the 20th-century ‘observer books’, the menu features 18 cocktails, each dedicated to a single botanical berry sourced from the local hills of Perthshire.

The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023​

1 Sips, Barcelona
2 Double Chicken Please, New York
3 Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
4 Paradiso, Barcelona
5 Connaught Bar, London
6 Little Red Door, Paris
7 Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
8 Tayēr + Elementary, London
9 Alquímico, Cartagena
10 Himkok, Oslo
11 Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
12 Line, Athens
13 BKK Social Club, Bangkok
14 Jigger & Pony, Singapore
15 Maybe Sammy, Sydney
16 Salmon Guru, Madrid
17 Overstory, New York
18 Zest, Seoul
19 Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok
20 Coa, Hong Kong
21 Drink Kong, Rome
22 Hanky Panky, Mexico City
23 Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne
24 Café La Trova, Miami
25 Baba au Rum, Athens
26 CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
27 Katana Kitten, New York
28 Satan’s Whiskers, London
29 Wax On, Berlin
30 Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
31 Röda Huset, Stockholm
32 Sago House, Singapore
33 Freni e Frizioni, Rome
34 Argo, Hong Kong
35 A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
36 The SG Club, Tokyo
37 Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
38 The Cambridge Public House, Paris
39 Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
40 Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
41 Scarfes Bar, London
42 1930, Milan
43 Carnaval, Lima
44 L’Antiquario, Naples
45 Baltra Bar, Mexico City
46 Locale Firenze, Florence
47 The Clumsies, Athens
48 Atlas, Singapore
49 Jewel of the South, New Orleans
50 Galaxy Bar, Dubai