The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 will be announced in November

Mark Sansom - 10/09/2020

As the global bar sector moves into the next stage of recovery, 50 Best will unveil a list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 on 5th November at 3pm UK time as part of a virtual ceremony. The announcement follows on from the work of 50 Best for Recovery, which to date has raised $1.24m for the hospitality community. This year has also seen a host of changes to the Academy structure, which includes 50/50 gender parity, 20 new Academy Chairs and fresh access to lesser-known bar communities all over the world

After six months of unprecedented hardship for the bar community, the world is beginning to witness the first green shoots of recovery. Led by key areas of Asia – where the pandemic gripped early and with ferocity – and moving gradually west, bars are reopening, bartenders are adjusting to the new normal and guests are looking to find the confidence to return to their favourite drinking destinations safely and securely.

Throughout this period, cocktail lovers worldwide have witnessed the togetherness, dynamism, craft and dedication of bartenders to continue pushing forward in the face of adversity. Online happy hours, to-go cocktails and virtual drinks tutorials are now part of the bar trade lexicon and have served as a guiding bastion of creativity, showing the world how flexible and resilient the drinks sector can be.

As we move into the vital next of phase of recovery, now is the time to support bars with confidence, measured optimism and positive coverage.

To help bolster the cocktail sector at this crucial time, the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020, sponsored by Perrier, will be revealed on Thursday, 5th November. During extensive consultations with industry figures, its Academy Chairs, bar owners, bartenders and partners, 50 Best received widespread support for releasing a ranking that aims to bind the community even closer together.

Not sure of how a virtual ceremony might look? Watch the video of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2020, which aired in May:


The announcement of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 list follows on from the 50 Best for Recovery programme – the support and fundraising initiative which the 50 Best organisation pivoted its energy and resource towards over the last six months, raising more than $1.24m in the process. The programme included providing grants to 236 businesses from 53 countries as a direct result of fundraising efforts, which included the Bid for Recovery auction, the publication of the Home Comforts e-cookbook and the generous support of 50 Best’s partner brands.

The online event on 5th November will be preluded by four special award announcements in the weeks running up to the ceremony. Here are the key dates to slot into your diary:

8th OctoberMichter’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, which for this edition ran from January 2019 to March 2020, when the vast majority of the world went into lockdown

15th OctoberCampari One To Watch. This award is given to a rising-star bar on the 51-100 list that has the potential to break into the main list in coming years

22nd OctoberAltos 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 pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a great bartender

29th October – The World’s 50 Best Bars 51-100 list. One week before the virtual awards ceremony, 50 Best will reveal those bars ranked from 51st to 100th in the world on its website and social media channels

For 2020, 50 Best made a number of changes to its Academy structure, which now includes more than 540 anonymous industry experts who cast the votes to create the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars. The Academy is also 50/50 gender balanced, there are 20 Academy Chairs in 20 new geographic regions, and – for the first time – the voting process was subject to rigorous independent adjudication by world-renowned consultancy Deloitte. For more information about the structure of the Academy and the changes this year, please see this article.

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On 5th November, the streamed ceremony will begin at 3pm UK time, culminating in the announcement of The World’s Best Bar, sponsored by Perrier. Bars and cocktail lovers anywhere in the globe are invited to join the digital countdown of the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 through The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV channel on YouTube.

To stay up to date with news and videos from The World's 50 Best Bars, find us on Instagram at @50BestBars, follow us on Twitter at @50BestBars, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/50BestBars and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Visit the Bar Recovery Hub for helpful resources and content for hospitality workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.