Asia’s 50 Best Bars and the Resurgence of South Asia

Hong Kong’s COA secures top spot, 11 South Asian bars make it to the list.

During the highly anticipated reveal of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier and held in Hong Kong last week, COA, led by Jay Khan and Ajit Gurung, secured the prestigious top spot for the third consecutive year. This outstanding accomplishment highlighted their consistent excellence and dedication to the craft of the cocktail and art of hospitality. Additionally, 11 other South Asian bars had a remarkable moment in the spotlight, further showcasing the region’s growing prominence in the world of bars and cocktails.

Notably, four bars from India and one from Sri Lanka secured positions within the top 50, while an additional seven South Asian bars made it to the extended 51-100 list. This achievement has sparked a buzz, suggesting that the subcontinent is finally recognising and harnessing its potential in the bar scene.

For a significant period, South Asia was recognised for exporting its finest F&B talents abroad. Talented bartenders from the region ventured out to lead some of the world’s most distinguished establishments, carving a niche for themselves far from their home countries. In the past, cocktail culture was relatively unknown to many South Asians, and the idea of spending money on a premium cocktail experience was quite unfamiliar.

In 2023 things have changed significantly. In the last 2 decades, significant efforts have been made by bartenders and bar operators in the region to shift that narrative. Trailblazers like Yangdup Lama of New Delhi’s Sidecar (#18 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023) persevered since the 90s to legitimise bartending as a viable career and inspire a whole generation of bartenders to follow suit. Bar schools started to emerge and skill those keen to learn the craft. South Asians with spending power began to travel the world and get a taste of cocktail culture in London, New York, New Orleans and beyond. And when they came back home, they craved the same things.

India’s $3 trillion economy alone expanded by a CAGR of 5.3% between 2010 and 2021- a lot has changed. While the pandemic put a real spanner in the works and the region’s F&B led tourism economy took a serious hit, things seem to be shaping up again.

“South Asia has always been an alluring destination thanks to its diverse cultures and landscape”, says Yash Bhanage, Founder – The Bombay Canteen (#35 Asia’s 50 Best Bars). “Recently we’ve seen more food and beverage enthusiasts visiting the region thanks to the resurgence of bars and restaurants that are marrying ethnic flavours, regional ingredients, and tastes with modern techniques set in a beautiful ambience. The F&B community itself has grown with more western professionals having moved here, leading to more cross-cultural knowledge sharing and an overall improvement in the F&B offering”.

Tourism in the region has almost sprung back to pre-pandemic numbers with some countries experiencing overwhelming footfall. India recorded 6.19 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2022, Sri Lanka recorded 700,000 foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 despite the economic crisis, while Nepal has recorded 120,000 tourists so far this year and Maldives recorded 184,000 tourists in December 2022.*

*this data has been secured from several online sources and might not be 100% accurate. Readers are requested to verify independently.

The recent announcement of Asia’s 50 Best Bars is testimony to the subcontinent’s ever growing F&B landscape. In 2016, Asia’s 50 Best Bars was introduced with the primary objective of highlighting the finest and most innovative talent within the drinks industry of the region. The rankings are determined each year through the votes of Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy, a distinguished body consisting of 260 highly knowledgeable and well-travelled professionals from the bar industry, drinks media, and mixology experts all across Asia. To maintain integrity and authenticity, the voting process follows a meticulously structured system and procedures, overseen by the reputable global adjudication company, Deloitte. As a result, the list and awards hold a reputation for credibility and far-reaching influence worldwide. This year’s results came as a welcome surprise to the subcontinent with first timers showing up in strong numbers including two bars from Kathmandu, Nepal.

“A primary goal of 50 Best is to always shine the spotlight on undiscovered drinking and dining experiences in underrated and lesser-known cities. Hence the introduction of the 51-100 lists, which is created from the overall 50 Best Bars voting process, and 50 Best Discovery, where globetrotters can explore the best bars and restaurants around the world”, says Tim Brooke-Webb, Managing Director, 50 Best. “The strong showing from South Asia on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 list is a much-welcomed result hopefully from some of these measures we have taken. The list is completely up to the voters so we can’t say for certain what to expect in future, however what we are certain of is that we are constantly looking to celebrate new bars and cities, wherever that may take us.”

In recent times, these rankings have gained increased significance, especially in regions like South Asia. Such lists now hold substantial weight as definitive guides for discerning F&B tourists who strategically plan their travels around food and drink destinations. Additionally, these rankings bestow credibility upon lesser-known establishments that offer exceptional experiences but may lack global recognition, effectively shining a spotlight on their excellence.

“The growth of South Asia in particular has been brilliant to witness. We saw a record number of Indian bars this year and this is testament to how cocktail culture is growing in this part of the world. It was particularly pleasing to see two Nepalese bars make it into the 51-100 list and, in spite of tricky visa conditions for entering Hong Kong, both made the effort to come and celebrate with their peers. As more and more people travel to the likes of Sri Lanka and India to experience the brilliant food and beverage scene, we have no doubt we will see an even greater presence of south Asian bars taking a foothold in the top end of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list”, says Mark Sansom, Director of Content, Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

Although the thriving success of bars in South Asia has garnered considerable attention and generated excitement in the region, the subcontinent faces its fair share of challenges and obstacles in establishing and running its bars and restaurants. The prevalence of bureaucracy and red tape poses significant hurdles, making it a daily uphill struggle to keep the business operational and profitable. “We need the bureaucracy and red tape surrounding alcohol and the bar industry in India to be relaxed if we want to continue on this trajectory. Cocktail culture is clearly on the rise, and I think that encouragement needs to come from both top down and bottom up; industry players are working to push innovation, embracing traditional flavours and our cultural heritage, but the systemic challenges and high operating costs here are often a major roadblock to growth”, says Aditi Dugar, Founder – The Living Room at Masque (#48 Asia’s 50 Best Bars).

The journey has only just begun and we hope to only see these numbers grow in the coming years.

Find the complete list of this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars below: