The annual list of The World’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will be unveiled as part of a live awards ceremony on Tuesday, 7th December 2021, at London’s iconic Roundhouse.
Returning to a physical event after a virtual awards in 2020 – during which 50 Best devoted its resources to its 50 Best for Recovery fundraising project – The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021 programme will give bartenders, bar owners, brand partners and cocktail aficionados the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the resilience and achievements of the sector in the last year and a half, and provide motivation and positive storytelling in this crucial next stage of recovery.
The 2021 ranking will be unveiled in a ceremony which will form part of a two-day event programme, and the list will be based on members of The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy’s bar experiences across a voting period between March 2020 to September 2021. In 2020, 50 Best made several changes to its Academy, which now includes more than 540 anonymous industry experts and is 50/50 gender balanced. There are 23 Academy Chairs across 23 geographic regions, and the voting process and results are independently adjudicated by Deloitte to ensure authenticity. The 2021 voting requirements have been amended to reflect the travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
Mark Sansom, Content Editor for The World’s 50 Best Bars, says: “We are thrilled that The World’s 50 Best Bars ceremony is returning to London this year for an in-person event, allowing the bar community to reunite once again after being starved of vital international face-to-face interaction. Championing great bars is more important than ever before and we hope this event and list inspires people around the world to return to their beloved bars, discover new favourites and seek out fresh adventures.”
The live awards programme on 7th December, which will represent a key milestone in the ongoing revival of the global bar sector, will be preceded by three special award announcements in the weeks running up to the ceremony:
- 18th November – Michter’s Art of Hospitality. This award is voted for by all members of The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, who are asked to name the bar where they received the single best hospitality experience during the voting period
- 25th November – Altos Bartenders’ Bartender. This award is voted for by the bartenders behind those bars on this year’s list, who are asked to name one peer who has done more to further the craft of bartending than any other, with reference to their work throughout the pandemic
- 2nd December – The extended 51-100 list. Five days before the virtual awards ceremony, 50 Best will reveal those bars ranked between 51st and 100th in the world on its website and social media channels
There is also an exciting new award for 2021: the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu, which is designed to reward innovation, design, drinks craft and idea communication. The award is open to all bars across the globe and will involve the submission of a current menu and supporting materials. Details on how to enter will be announced on The World’s 50 Best Bars website and social channels in the coming weeks.
The countdown of the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021 and the awards programme will also be broadcast to a global audience who are not able to attend in person. This ‘hybrid’ format will ensure that no one misses out on the highly anticipated events of the evening. Bars and cocktail lovers are invited to join through The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV channel on YouTube.
About The World’s 50 Best Bars
The World’s 50 Best Bars, owned and organised by William Reed Business Media, provides a definitive list of the world’s best drinking venues, voted for by an Academy of over 540 experts worldwide. The World’s 50 Best Bars list has been published annually since 2009 and has become the most anticipated ranking for drinks professionals and cocktail aficionados across the world, with the awards the highlight of the bar industry calendar. The list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars has been published since 2016. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, also organised by William Reed Business Media, has been published since 2002.
About Perrier
For more than a century, Perrier® has collaborated with some of the world’s most influential major artists, including Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, Bernard Villemot, and Jean-Gabriel Domergue, each of whom in their own way have demonstrated a certain artistic irreverence. With a history that began in 1863 in Vergèze, in the Gard region of France, the Perrier® brand is now recognized worldwide thanks to its iconic green bottle. Appreciated in more than 140 countries, the brand is acclaimed for its natural mineral water combined with the power of its bubbles.