The 2011 World's 50 Best Bars: Rankings and Analysis

Please Don't Tell (PDT) entered the New York cocktail conversation in 2007 through a phone booth hidden inside a hot dog counter on St. Marks Place, it spent the next several years at the top of the World's 50 Best Bars rankings, reaching No. 1 in 2011. It remains Pearl Recommended in 2025, making it one of the few bars from that era still earning serious critical attention.

The Connaught Bar has appeared in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings every year since 2010, reaching number one twice. Its David Collins-designed interior and technically precise cocktail programme, anchored by a signature tableside Dry Martini, set the standard by which other hotel bars in London and beyond are measured. Open Tuesday through Sunday in the heart of Mayfair.

Artesian at The Langham London held the World's 50 Best Bars number one position four consecutive years from 2012 to 2015, a run that placed it at the centre of London's cocktail conversation for a generation. 6 from 865 reviews and has maintained a presence in the Top 500 Bars list through 2025. It remains one of the most award-documented hotel bars in Europe.

Death & Co at 433 E 6th St has shaped the East Village cocktail scene since 2006, building a track record that includes a top-ten ranking in the World's 50 Best Bars for four consecutive years between 2009 and 2013.

Few bars in London carry a ranking history as sustained as American Bar at the Savoy. From World's 50 Best number one in 2017 to consistent top-twenty placement across more than a decade, its position in the global cocktail conversation is grounded in verifiable record rather than reputation alone. The Strand address puts it at the centre of London's most storied hospitality corridor.

69 Colebrooke Row is a compact cocktail bar on Islington's canal-adjacent backstreets that spent the early 2010s placing consistently inside the World's 50 Best Bars — reaching number seven in 2011 and number eight in 2012. The bar, and remains one of the addresses that shaped how London thinks about the serious cocktail bar format.

Few bars in Paris carry the kind of documented critical weight that Harry's Bar does. Ranked No. 9 in the World's 50 Best Bars in both 2010 and 2011, still listed in the Top 500 Bars at No. 60 in 2025, it occupies a specific tier in the city's cocktail map: historically significant, continuously operating, benchmarked against the most recognised bars in the world.

Black Pearl on Brunswick Street has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings for over a decade, peaking at number seven globally in 2013. Open nightly until 3am, it functions as both a serious cocktail destination and a genuine Fitzroy local, the kind of bar that draws regulars as reliably as it draws out-of-towners. Its longevity in a competitive field says more than any single award.

Beneath a Wynyard Lane laneway entrance, Eau de Vie operates as one of Sydney's most credentialed cocktail bars, having held a World's 50 Best Bars ranking continuously from 2011 through 2014, peaking at number 13. The program sits in a tier defined by technical precision rather than theatrical novelty. Holding, it remains a reference point for serious drinking in the CBD.

Bramble has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars since 2009, reaching number seven in the world in that same year and peaking at number ten in 2012. Located on Queen Street in Edinburgh's New Town, it operates as a benchmark for serious cocktail craft in Scotland, with across nearly a thousand reviews. Its sustained recognition over more than fifteen years places it in a different tier from most Edinburgh bars.

<strong>Employees Only NYC</strong> remains a defining West <strong>Village cocktail</strong> room because it treats classic drinking as theatre without letting the room swallow the drinks. Its long run on the World's <strong>50 Best Bars</strong> list, including #95 globally and #18 in <strong>North America</strong> for 2025, places it in a rare category: a 2004-era <strong>New York</strong> bar that continues to compete with younger technical programs.

La Capilla sits on Hidalgo street in the old town of Tequila, Jalisco, holds a place in the World's 50 Best Bars record that few cantinas anywhere can match: four consecutive rankings between 2011 and 2014, peaking at number 16. The bar is less a cocktail destination in the contemporary sense and more a living document of how Mexico's national spirit has been served and celebrated in its birthplace for generations.

The Cocktail Bar at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast carries a placing of #17 in the World's 50 Best Bars (2011) and. Set in a Victorian former bank on Skipper Street, the bar trades in classic cocktail craft, an extensive spirits collection, the kind of formal-but-warm Irish hospitality that the city does better than most.

A basement bar on City Road that has spent over a decade among the world's most recognised cocktail addresses, Nightjar deals in prohibition-era atmosphere, live jazz, technically elaborate drinks. Ranked as high as No. 2 in the World's 50 Best Bars, it opens nightly from 6pm until 3am, making it one of London's few serious late-night destinations for craft cocktails.

Smuggler's Cove on Gough Street is San Francisco's most decorated rum bar, appearing in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2011 to 2016 and holding a Pearl Recommended status in 2025. The bar opens daily from 5pm and closes at 1:45am, making it one of the city's later-running serious cocktail destinations. confirms its sustained standing with both regulars and first-time visitors.

Once ranked third among the World's 50 Best Bars, Buddha Bar occupies a grand 8th arrondissement address on Rue Boissy d'Anglas with a scale and theatrical atmosphere that shaped a generation of Asian-influenced bar concepts across Europe.

Perched on the 27th floor of the Burj Al Arab, Skyview Bar entered the World's 50 Best Bars rankings three consecutive years between 2009 and 2011, peaking at number 21. The elevation is literal and competitive: few bars in Dubai can match that combination of architectural context and verified international standing. points to sustained performance rather than novelty alone.

The Varnish Los Angeles pioneered the city's craft cocktail renaissance from a hidden speakeasy behind Cole's historic saloon. Eric Alperin's intimate bar transforms classic cocktails through personalized service and meticulous technique, establishing the authentic speakeasy experience that influenced an entire generation of LA mixologists.

The legendary Milk & Honey London pioneered the modern speakeasy movement from its unmarked Soho location, where Sasha Petraske's exacting cocktail methodology and strict house rules created London's most exclusive drinking sanctuary. This members-only institution trained a generation of world-class bartenders while perfecting classic cocktails in an atmosphere of refined intimacy.

A founding address of Buenos Aires cocktail culture, 878 Bar has operated from Villa Crespo since the early 2000s, drawing the city's food and beverage crowd to its low-lit rooms on Thames street. Ranked No. 25 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2011 and still appearing in the Top 500 Bars in 2025, it remains a durable reference point in a city where the bar scene has grown considerably more competitive.

Mathew Bax's Der Raum revolutionized Melbourne cocktail culture through innovative design featuring suspended bottles on bungee cords and a minimalist program of ten rotating classic cocktails. This sophisticated Eurocentric bar operated until 2012, establishing benchmarks for luxury cocktail experiences that continue influencing Melbourne's drinking scene today.

One of Brooklyn's most decorated cocktail bars, Clover Club at 210 Smith St has held a place in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings since 2009, reaching as high as #18 globally in 2012. It occupies a particular position in New York's bar scene: technically serious, historically grounded, deliberately unglamorous in the way only confident institutions can afford to be.

Door 74 on Reguliersdwarsstraat has held a place on the World's 50 Best Bars list multiple times since 2011, reaching as high as #15 in 2013. One of Amsterdam's most consistently recognised cocktail addresses, it operates behind a discreet entrance on a street better known for its nightlife than its craft bartending. confirms its standing with a broad cross-section of visitors.

Few bars carry the weight of Floridita on Calle Obispo in Havana. Ranked #31 in the World's 50 Best Bars in 2011 and #40 in North America's 50 Best Bars in 2022, it remains the reference address for the daiquiri in its city of origin — a gathering place for locals, tourists, anyone with a serious interest in where Cuban cocktail culture began.

City Space earned back-to-back placement at #32 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2010 and 2011, positioning it among the small group of Moscow bars that carried the city's cocktail reputation internationally during that period. Situated on Kosmodamianskaya Naberezhnaya along the Moscow River, it, a score that speaks to durability well beyond its awards moment.

Wellington's most influential cocktail destination since 1963, Matterhorn seamlessly blends European sophistication with local creativity. This legendary venue features an innovative 42-strong cocktail menu, atmospheric design by Allistar Cox, the iconic Falling Water cocktail that has achieved international recognition across New Zealand's luxury bar scene.

Bar High Five has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2011, reaching as high as #3 globally in 2013. Located in a basement in Ginza, it represents the classical Tokyo bar tradition, precise technique, minimal theatre, drinks built around the guest rather than the menu. reflects consistent execution over more than a decade.

Once a consistent presence in the World's 50 Best Bars top 25, Le Lion Bar de Paris at Rathausstraße 3 sits at the serious end of Hamburg's cocktail spectrum. The room leans toward old-world discretion rather than theatrical spectacle, placing it in a category of European bars that treat the drink as the central proposition. reflects sustained consistency rather than novelty appeal.

LAB London revolutionized Soho's cocktail scene from 1999-2016 as the legendary birthplace of the Porn Star Martini and training ground for industry legends. This pioneering mixology laboratory transformed London's bar culture through innovative cocktails, theatrical service, boundary-pushing experimentation that continues to influence the city's luxury cocktail establishments today.

One of Barcelona's most enduring cocktail addresses, Boadas occupies a triangular corner at the foot of Carrer dels Tallers with the quiet confidence of a bar that has never needed to announce itself. Ranked #85 in the World's 50 Best Bars 2025 and holding, it draws a mixed crowd of locals and informed visitors who understand that brevity and precision are the house style.

Dutch Kills earned back-to-back World's 50 Best Bars rankings in 2011 and 2012, placing it among a small cohort of New York bars to achieve that recognition from a Queens address rather than Manhattan., it has held its position in the serious cocktail conversation well beyond its peak press years, a reliable indicator of sustained execution rather than momentary hype.

Worship St Whistling Shop revolutionized London's cocktail scene through its immersive Victorian gin palace concept and award-winning mixology. This underground Shoreditch speakeasy earned three consecutive years on the World's 50 Best Bars list, serving theatrical cocktails like the Zazel in an atmospheric setting that transported guests to 19th-century London's clandestine drinking dens.

Thad Vogler's BarAgricole San Francisco revolutionizes luxury cocktail culture through single-origin spirits, exclusive producer collaborations, an integrated bottle shop. This architecturally stunning Mission District destination combines award-winning mixology with sustainable design, offering discerning guests both exceptional cocktails and rare spirits to take home.

A subterranean Shoreditch bar on Great Eastern Street that reached No. 43 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2011, Lounge Bohemia operates in the theatrical, low-capacity tier that defines London's most serious cocktail addresses., it remains a reference point for the neighbourhood's experimental drinking culture.

The Vazquez family's Mayamezcal New York City transforms Astoria into a temple of Mexican tradition, where house-made tortillas crafted through ancient nixtamalization meet premium agave spirits in an atmosphere of genuine familia hospitality that honors the Aztec goddess of maguey.

Mutis is an Eixample cocktail bar that earned consecutive World's 50 Best Bars rankings between 2011 and 2013, peaking at number 16 globally. Sitting on Carrer de Còrsega in Barcelona's grid-planned residential and commercial centre, it operates as a neighbourhood fixture rather than a destination spectacle, drawing a mix of locals and informed visitors who track its sustained critical recognition.

Located inside the Ritz Paris at 38 Rue Cambon, the Hemingway Bar has ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars every year from 2010 to 2014, reaching as high as #24. With a 2025 Top 500 Bars listing at #303, it remains one of the most credentialed hotel bars in Europe, positioned at the upper tier of Paris cocktail culture.