The biggest show in bars will travel to Hong Kong for the first time in history when Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023, sponsored by Perrier, is announced at a live awards ceremony at Rosewood Hong Kong on 18th July
For its eighth annual edition, Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023 heads to Hong Kong. It’s the first time the seminal event in Asia’s bar calendar will take place in the city that has provided the continent’s No.1 bar on three occasions.
When the list is announced on 18th July, it will also be the first full-scale gathering of the bar community in Asia since 2019, with borders now fully open across the region. In partnership with Hong Kong Tourism Board, 50 Best will put on a series of three events in as many days across the city that will celebrate Hong Kong’s vibrant venues and set the scene for celebration, reunion and the success of Asia’s cocktail luminaries.
The programme will begin with the Bartenders’ Feast at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
the night before the awards ceremony on 17th July. After a successful debut in Bangkok last year, this event is set to become a lasting feature of the 50 Best event calendar as the listed bar teams gather to discuss predictions and premonitions and tension builds before the big reveal.
The gala itself the next day will feature red carpet interviews, recaps of previous years’ events and the glittering ceremony itself at Rosewood Hong Kong, where the bars will discover where they have placed as the list is announced from No.50 down to the No.1, which will also be named The Best Bar in Asia 2023, sponsored by Perrier. It will be followed by a live press conference with the people behind the No.1 bar, which will be aired on the @50BestBars Instagram account. The entire ceremony will be livestreamed across the world on the YouTube channel, 50 Best Bars TV.
New for 2023 will be an event the day after the ceremony. Taking place in the Aqua Hutong Hong Kong, the Closing Party will be an opportunity for attendees to gather the day after the night before to share stories of success and start planning the campaigns that will maintain and improve on their list success in the years to come.
Since the launch of Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2016, the top spot has been shared between two cities: Hong Kong and the Lion City of Singapore. Last year saw Jay Khan’s agave-forward Coa set in the host city’s financial district take the top spot for the second consecutive year, followed by Singapore’s 2019 winner Jigger & Pony in second place. New entry and fellow Hong Konger Argo came in third, the since-shuttered Tesouro landed fourth and Tokyo stalwart Bar Benfiddich rounded off the top five.
Hong Kong-based Coa has received a host of accolades since it opened in 2017, including two consecutive Best Bar in Asia Awards in 2021 and 2022
In the weeks leading up to the event, the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award – an accolade given to the bar that has offered outstanding service to its guests in the past 18 months – will be revealed, as well as the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender – the only peer-voted individual award in the programme. For the third time and to shine a wider spotlight on a greater number of the region’s bars, the venues ranked between 51st and 100th on the list will be announced via 50 Best’s social channels the week before the main event.
Other special awards which will be announced as part of the ceremony will include: Roku Industry Icon, Ketel One Sustainable Bar, Disaronno Highest New Entry, London Essence Best New Opening, Nikka Highest Climber, Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu, Campari One To Watch and Rémy Martin Legend of the List.
The 2023 list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars was created by the Academy, an influential group of over 250 leaders in the region made up of drinks writers, educators, journalists, bartenders, bar owners and regional cocktail aficionados. The voting rules for 2023 were designed to reflect the restrictions on international travel in the 18-month voting period: voters could nominate a total of seven bars, including up to five from their home country, but with no obligation to vote for bars outside of their home country/SAR if they have not been able to travel. For more information, check out the voting section of our website.
So set a reminder in your calendar for 18th July to follow the live reveal of the key drinking destinations to book for the year ahead.
Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023, sponsored by Perrier, will be revealed at an event in Hong Kong on 18th July. The ceremony will be livestreamed on 50 Best Bars TV YouTube channel and 50 Best Bars Facebook page. To be the first to hear about the latest news and announcements, browse the website, follow us on Instagram, find us on Facebook, visit us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
