The World’s Best Bars in 2023

Barcelona has been named the world capital of cocktails, with the famed Sips bar taking the top spot in ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023’ by William Reed. The roundup is based on the votes of more than 600 industry experts from around the world, from bartenders and cocktail connoisseurs to consultants and drinks reviewers.

It’s only the second time that a bar from outside New York or London has taken first place since the list’s creation back in 2009. Last year, another bar from Barcelona, Paradiso, also came out on top, but this year it has dropped to (a still very respectable) fourth position.

Sips, located in the heart of L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona, "combines elegant design with avant-garde technology to create a casual and playful drinkery house by two titans of the sector, Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez," according to the organization. In 2022 it ranked third in the prestigious ranking.

The podium is then completed by New York's Double Chicken Please, which has climbed up to rank 2 from rank 6 last year, and Mexico's Handshake Speakeasy, which has slid up from rank 11 to rank 3.

In addition to two Spanish and two Mexican contenders, the Top 10 also includes a couple of London establishments: Connaught Bar, an elegant cubist-style hotel bar, and Tayēr + Elementary, located in east London and serving classic cocktails combined with seasonal ingredients.