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Best Cocktail Bars In The World: Drinks International Releases Its Top 50


First Posted: 11/08/2011 3:51 pm Updated: 01/08/2012 4:12 am

If you ask most people what their favorite bar is, they'll probably cite some place local and dependable, with good lighting, tasty beer and moderate prices. Most people do not work in the mixology industry.

If you ask people who work in the mixology industry what their favorite bars are -- as trade publication Drinks International did this year, in the interest of writing a guide to the best bars in the world -- you will get answers that span the globe and focus on the technical skill and creativity of bartenders rather than on comfortable vibes.

The list generated by the poll is an interesting one. It slants toward the expensive and the highly polished. The list features many hotel bars. Some are famous and old, others are new and obscure. There are some fishy geographic trends at play: there are probably too many slots given to London bars, and there are no entrants at all in a few places, like Berlin and New Orleans, known for their nightlife.

Still, as far as we can tell, it's a strong list -- HuffPost Food can personally attest to deliciousness of the drinks at all the New York entrants.

Here's the full list:

1. PDT, New York
2. Connaught, London
3. Artesian, London
4. Death & Co, New York
5. Milk & Honey, London
6. American Bar at the Savoy, London
7. 69 Colebrooke Row, London
8. Drink, Boston
9. Harry's New York Bar, Paris
10. Black Pearl, Melbourne
11. Pegu Club, New York
12. Dry Martini Bar, Barcelona
13. Eau De Vie, Sydney
14. Bramble, Edinburgh
15. Employees Only, New York
16. La Capilla Bar, Mexico
17. Merchant Hotel, Belfast
18. Nightjar, London
19. Smuggler's Cove, San Francisco
20. Buddha Bar, Paris
21. Skyview Bar, Dubai
22. The Varnish, Los Angeles
23. Tippling Club, Singapore
24. Milk & Honey, New York
25. 878 Bar, Buenos Aires
26. Der Raum, Melbourne
27. Callooh Callay, London
28. Clover Club, New York
29. Door74, Amsterdam
30. Tommy's, San Francisco
31. Floridita, Havana
32. City Space, Moscow
33. Matterhorn, Wellington
34. High Five Bar, Tokyo
35. Le Lion, Hamburg
36. LAB, London
37. Boadas, Barcelona
38. Dutch Kills, New York
39. Worship St Whistling Shop, London
40. Bar Agricole, San Francisco
41. Papa Doble, Montpellier
42. Quo Vadis, London
43. Lounge Bohemia, London
44. Mayahuel, New York
45. Mutis, Barcelona
46. Ruby, Copenhagen
47. Rules, London
48. Hemingway Bar, Paris
49. Zuma, Dubai
50. Star Bar, Tokyo

FOLLOW HUFFPOST FOOD

If you ask most people what their favorite bar is, they'll probably cite some place local and dependable, with good lighting, tasty beer and moderate prices. Most people do not work in the mixology in...
If you ask most people what their favorite bar is, they'll probably cite some place local and dependable, with good lighting, tasty beer and moderate prices. Most people do not work in the mixology in...
If you ask most people what their favorite bar is, they'll probably cite some place local and dependable, with good lighting, tasty beer and moderate prices. Most people do not work in the mixology in...
If you ask most people what their favorite bar is, they'll probably cite some place local and dependable, with good lighting, tasty beer and moderate prices. Most people do not work in the mixology in...
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08:57 PM on 11/11/2011
Is my bar on this list? Well since I don't live in a "glamor city" no. This list bothers me. They should consider going to other cities than the tourist filled ones.
10:12 AM on 11/10/2011
There is a geographical slant here. Chicago has several great mixology cocktail places that are better than some places on this list that I've been to, such as the Violet Hour and The Whistler.
08:06 AM on 11/10/2011
Bourbon and Branch (San Francisco) deserves a spot on this list. So much better than PDT!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
flowereater
Proceed, Governor . . .
02:02 AM on 11/10/2011
Filmmaker? Really?
04:52 PM on 11/09/2011
How can they not include a bar from Orange County! jeez come on now

sounds like some awesome places though!
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08:03 AM on 11/09/2011
Let's be honest. What do cocktail bars do? They take an unpalatable product, booze, and make it palatable so that the alcoholics or potential alcoholics can drink plenty of it. If it's nutrition or thirst quenching that you're looking for there are better alternatives.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Nuyorican21
Law Clerk
09:40 PM on 11/08/2011
Won't spend 15 bucks on it though.
07:15 PM on 11/08/2011
PDT sucks.
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planetjeffy
On the other hand, you have different fingers.
06:31 PM on 11/08/2011
Herman Cain tried to feel me up in every one of these