As someone who has spent the last few years watching India’s bar revolution unfold from behind the counter, across the tables, and through late-night conversations with bartenders and drinkers alike, being at The World’s 50 Best Bars this year in Hong Kong felt like stepping into a new chapter of that story. It wasn’t just a celebration of cocktails, it was a window into where the world of drinks is headed, and more importantly, how Asia is no longer following global trends but defining them.
Walking into the buzzing, electric atmosphere of the awards, you could feel the pulse of the global bar community. There was a sense of unity, some levels of joyful chaos, as is to be expected when the best bartenders in the world meet and a sea of bar enthusiasts who understood that bars are no longer just places to drink. They are spaces of culture, identity, storytelling, and in some cases, activism. And as the names were called out that night, it became clear that the center of gravity for this culture is steadily tilting towards Asia.
A Global Celebration, A Regional Awakening
Bar Leone’s crowning as the No. 1 bar in the world this year was, in many ways, symbolic. Here was a bar that, rather than dazzling with theatrical techniques or obscure ingredients, stood tall on the sheer strength of simplicity. Its ethos, classic cocktails executed with precision, warmth, and soul, felt like the warm hug that all cocktail drinkers across the region and the world were yearning for.
That simplicity resonated deeply with me. In India, we are witnessing a similar shift—bartenders moving away from overcomplicated presentations and back toward honest flavour, hospitality, and a sense of place. The drink now tells a story not just of the bartender but of the city it’s made in, the produce it uses, and the people it serves. Bar Leone’s win was validation that authenticity and restraint can move audiences just as powerfully as innovation.
Yet the night was also a powerful affirmation of Asia’s rise. Bars from Bangkok, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo didn’t just make the list, they defined it. The likes of Bar Us in Bangkok and Zest in Seoul are reimagining what it means to represent a region, drawing from local flavors, traditions, and philosophies while speaking a universal language of hospitality and taste and also finding a consistency on the list that makes us believe that we will see more No.1s from Asia in the future.
What’s remarkable about Asia’s ascension on this global stage isn’t just the number of bars making the list, but also the nature of their success. The best bars across the continent are no longer trying to emulate the West, yet are learning from a lot of their good practices and building truly global stories out of their bars.
Bars like Bar Us in Bangkok bring a deep understanding of flavor, blending ingredients that are unapologetically local, lemongrass, galangal, mango, tamarind, and turning them into refined, globally resonant experiences. Zest in Seoul does the same, using fermentation, Korean botanicals, and even techniques borrowed from traditional kitchens to create drinks that feel like cultural conversations.
There’s also a conscious return to sustainability that goes beyond trendiness. It’s not just about zero waste, it’s about rethinking the relationship between what we consume and the environment it comes from. In cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok, I noticed how the best bars are quietly integrating sustainability into their DNA. Ingredients are reused, garnishes are edible, and entire menus are designed to minimise waste.
But what ties it all together is the idea of storytelling. Each drink, each menu, each experience feels real and deliberate. You don’t just taste the drink, you understand where it comes from, why it exists, and what emotion it’s meant to evoke. And that, I realized, is what separates a good bar from a world-class one.
The Power of Storytelling in a Glass
At The World’s 50 Best Bars, it became evident that storytelling isn’t an afterthought, it’s the main ingredient. The world’s best bars aren’t just making menus and creating drinks; they’re creating narratives.
When I visited a few of the guest shifts during the week leading up to the awards, I was struck by how every bartender approached their craft like an artist. Each one had a story to tell, about their city, their ingredients, their inspirations.
Walking into Opposites which is a bar founded by Antonio Lai and Samuel Kwok, where they celebrate their opposite takes on the same drink. One favours flair and the other celebrates the essence of a classic. It leads to this really interesting menu that creates a leaderboard in the drinker’s mind for the creators drinks, we ended up actually crowning a winner by the end. But beyond that we actually felt like we had experienced a truly original drinking experience, that can be compared to no other bar we had been to.
At a 50 Best Sessions hosted by Savoury Project, we had the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award 2025 winners, Backdoor Bodega, who created an entire menu from scratch. All the drinks were being tasted for the first time that night. And true to the honour they won at the ceremony, the ability of a team of self-taught bartenders from Penang, to create something this special just for a night showed just how creative and competitive the entire bar scene in Asia is fast becoming.
What’s inspiring about these stories is how personal they are. A drink isn’t just a composition of ingredients—it’s a reflection of memory, geography, and emotion. When a bar from Seoul, Penang or Singapore talks about fermentation, it’s not just a technique; it’s a nod to ancient culinary traditions. When a bar from India talks about local produce or indigenous spirits, it’s reclaiming heritage.
The best bars, I realised, make you feel something. They create a connection that lasts long after the last sip.
Perhaps the biggest revelation from this year’s list is the return to simplicity. After years of pushing the boundaries of technique and presentation, the global bar world seems to be taking a deep breath, rediscovering the joy of a well-balanced, perfectly executed drink.
Bar Leone’s victory embodies that. It’s not a place of gimmicks or spectacle. It’s a space that values connection, quality, and warmth. That’s a lesson worth taking home—not just for bartenders but for anyone building hospitality in India.
In an age where we often equate innovation with complexity, it’s refreshing to see the world celebrate restraint. True mastery, as this year’s awards proved, lies in knowing when to stop.
Hong Kong: Where It All Came Together
During my days in Hong Kong leading up to the awards, the city felt alive with energy. Bars were packed, collaborations were happening everywhere, and guest shifts turned into endless parties. Also at last calculation, there were nearly 105 guest shifts across the city over 5 days and it felt like every night was a true celebration of this global bar community that has really become a family.
What stood out most was the generosity of the community. Bartenders from competing bars cheered for each other. Guests hopped from one event to another not just to drink, but to learn, to connect, to be inspired. And somewhere in the middle of all that, I found myself thinking about home. About how, in cities like Bangalore or Mumbai or Delhi, we’re slowly building that same sense of community—a generation of bartenders who see themselves not as competitors, but as collaborators in shaping the story of Indian drinking culture.
At some point post the ceremony, bartenders from across the world were doing a bar hop across the city and at some point around 2 AM, maybe atleast 20 of the top 50 bar teams were standing outside a bar in Central, different nationalities, different origin stories, but there was no competition any more, just camaraderie and a sense of revelry. Also, funnily, nearly everyone had a pint of beer in their hand by the end of the night.
As I flew back from Hong Kong, one thought kept circling in my mind: the best bars in the world aren’t just serving drinks; they’re shaping the way we connect as humans.
This year’s World’s 50 Best Bars wasn’t just a celebration of craftsmanship, it was a reflection of where we are as a global community. A reminder that simplicity, sustainability, and storytelling aren’t just buzzwords, they’re the foundation of what’s next.
P.M. Somanna is the founder and CEO of The Soul Company, a think tank for F&B across India and Southeast Asia focused on hospitality consulting, dining-led IPs, and restaurant investments. He spent a decade across fashion, real estate, and brand leadership before founding the company in 2020.
Follow Somanna on Instagram.
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