You may have seen stickers on restaurant doors or awards on bar shelves proudly displaying the “50 Best” label. The program launched in 2002 in the UK with the goal to celebrate “richness and diversity of the world’s culinary landscape”. The lists come out annually, and in the hospitality world, they are a big deal and getting on the 50 Best list is an honour and a celebration. For the foodies and mixology fans, 50 Best is either a to-do list or a starting point when visiting a new destination. To the restaurateurs and bar owners, it is a way to get their establishment on the global map. To chefs and bartenders, it is a way to have your name noticed by the leaders in the industry, and ultimately, doors open to exciting new career opportunities.
If you keep a pulse on your local mixology scene, occasional pop-up bartender events happen, bringing in names from the 50 Best list around the world to your local cocktail bars. Naturally, these appearances are likely happen in the local 50 Best-listed bars. 50 Best also has a broader list, called Discovery, with close contenders and a beverage menu sure to impress.
Above: Byrdi, Melbourne. Cover image: Double Chicken Please, New York. Images courtesy of 50 Best.
The winners are chosen by a group of over 1,000 people spread across 29 geographical voting regions, headed up by an Academy Chair. The judges group consists of 800 drink experts from around the world who cast eight votes based on their best bar experiences of the previous 18 months.
How are the 50 best bars, restaurants, and hotels chosen? We wondered. Emma Sleight, the head of content for global The World’s 50 Best Bars and Hotels, is here to answer all of our burning questions.
Kateryna Topol: Hello Emma, The award-winning bars are voted for by 800-plus experts worldwide – who are they?
Emma Sleight: The 50 Best Voting Academy is comprised of bartenders, mixologists, drinks media, business owners, influencers and industry experts from around the world who are chosen by our 29 global Academy Chairs. Each Academy Chair oversees a particular region and is charged with recruiting a diverse panel of voters from their designated region.
We ensure that there is a 50/50 gender split amongst our voters, and a minimum of 25% of voters are refreshed each year to ensure the list stays fresh and relevant. While the Academy Chairs are publicly known, our voters are required to remain completely anonymous to maintain the authenticity and objectivity of their choices. The results are independently adjudicated by Deloitte, and all votes are completely confidential – the Academy Chairs have no knowledge of which bars their voters vote for.
KT: What criteria make a bar worthy of a nomination?
ES: We purposely don’t set out strict criteria for voters when considering bars to vote for. Primarily, we believe there is more than one way a bar can be wonderful, and what constitutes ‘best’ is not the same for everyone. One voter could favour a historic hotel bar while another could prefer an experimental dive bar. Ultimately, it is up to the expertise and personal preference of the individual voters to decide who they should vote for. It is this diversity of opinion that allows us to trust our voters and their professional opinions, rather than giving them a list of features to tick off. The continued diversity of The World’s 50 Best Bars list, and the extended list of bars ranked 51-100, showcases the incredible variety of outstanding hospitality venues around the world.
KT: And how do the bars get on your radar for consideration?
ES: There is no way for a bar to nominate themselves for inclusion or evaluation when it comes to any of our lists, including The World’s 50 Best Bars – they just need to keep doing what they do best, which is providing the very best experience they can for every customer! Our Academy members are chosen for their knowledge of the industry and for having their finger on the pulse when it comes to new openings, up-and-comers and much-loved favourites around the world. All our voters are required to have attended the bars they vote for during a normal service, meaning takeovers, pop-ups, and special events are not eligible to be voted for.
While bars cannot nominate or vote for themselves on the list, they can apply to be considered for two of our Special Awards: the Best Bar Design Award, sponsored by St-Germain and the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award. Further details of when applications open for 2026 will be announced through our newsletter and on our social channels.
Left: Bar Nouveau, Paris; Right: Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires. Images courtesy of 50 Best.
KT: This takes us to my next question – how many total categories are there?
ES: There are three distinct categories for our awards on top of The World’s 50 Best Bars list and the extended 51-100 list. Firstly, there are the pre-announced awards, namely the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award and the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, which are announced before the main awards ceremony takes place. Next is the in-list Special Awards, such as Best in Destination Award for each continent, Highest New Entry Award and more. Finally, there are the individual Special Awards, like the 50 Best Bars Scholarship, which went to incredible mixologist Calliope Draper from Edmonton, Canada in 2024.
KT: Well deserved. Can you please tell us a bit more about the 50 Best Bars Scholarship program?
ES: Absolutely, we introduced the 50 Best Bars Scholarship in 2022 to celebrate and nurture the next generation of outstanding bartenders. The scholarship programme is open to any bartender from anywhere in the world aged 21 or over with fewer than five years’ experience. The winner is rewarded with the chance to train at some of the best bars in the world, with expenses paid throughout the programme. There is a three-part judging process for the scholarship, with five applicants selected for the final stage, which consists of a rigorous interview process with a panel of industry experts. The winners spend time behind the bar in some of the most well-respected and innovative establishments around the globe, and bring that experience back to their own bars, taking home skills, experiences and memories that shape their careers for the rest of their lives.
So far, we’ve had winners from India and the UK, with our most recent winner, Calliope Draper, hailing from Edmonton, Canada.
KT: Pivoting to the average traveller, in your opinion, why should they visit local mixology bars?
ES: There’s flavour to be found in every corner of the world, whether you’re in the heart of a major city or in a tiny town with two local drinking dens. We want to encourage people to explore more exceptional bars and emerging drinks destinations, as well as meet more of the wonderful talent behind the bar from all across the world, wherever they are fortunate enough to travel. Ultimately, we want to support creativity, innovation and stellar hospitality wherever it is found.
Above: 1930, Milan. Below on the left: La Sala de Laura, Bogotá; Right: Connaught Bar, London. Images courtesy of 50 Best.Images courtesy of 50 Best.
KT: And your next destination partner is…
ES: We announced Hong Kong as our next destination partner (at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal) earlier this year and are so excited to celebrate global bartending talent in such a wonderful city [on Wednesday, 8 October 2025]. Hong Kong has had a presence on our lists for over a decade and was a very hot topic last year, given Bar Leone took the No.2 spot at last year’s The World’s 50 Best Bars awards, making it the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award winner. The city has also been an outstanding host for Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2023 and 2024, so it seemed like the perfect place to host this year’s ceremony. The bar scene in Hong Kong continues to grow and develop year-on-year, so we hope attendees will have an exciting time exploring the city at this year’s ceremony.
KT: And finally, what is your go-to cocktail?
ES: I am always on the hunt for the best martini in the world. Everywhere I go I scour bars to find the perfect one. It’s a classic but with the amazing innovations I have seen and tasted across the globe, I am constantly surprised and delighted by the concoctions I continue to discover. Right now, I am taking my martini in tiny-tini form or ordering one of my other great loves: a mezcal margarita or Miami Vice.
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To find a 50 Best bar or restaurant near you, browse the lists on theworlds50best.com or follow @theworlds50best on Instagram.
Team at the Tlecān, Mexico City. Image courtesy of 50 Best.
