Bar Leone – an Italian cocktail bar in central Hong Kong – has been crowned Asia’s best bar. An impressive feat considering the venue has only been open for a year.
“We didn’t expect this,” co-founder Lorenzo Antinori told CNN shortly after the awards ceremony.
Originally from Rome, he originally aspired to a career in law, but found that he enjoyed his part-time job behind the bar more than his studies for the bar.
“We have a vibrant bar scene in Hong Kong. It’s always been very strong, but I see new ideas and new business models emerging after the pandemic,” Antinori added. “Diversity and energy: those are the words we associate with the bar community here.”
The Asia’s 50 Best Bars ceremony was held on July 16 at the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district. The awards are chosen by members of the region’s bar industry, media and mixology experts, and look at categories such as drink quality, service level and that elusive quality you might call ‘vibe’.
Before Bar Leone’s triumph, the top spot was taken by another Hong Kong bar serving mezcal Koawhich topped the list for no less than three years.
Coa is headed by Jay Khan, whose latest venture – Hong Kong’s The Savory Project – was recognized as the best new opening of the year.
When Coa was announced in fourth place, many in attendance audibly gasped.
However, Khan, wearing his trademark black baseball cap, was among those cheering Bar Leone’s big win. “One day we’re not going to be crowned number one, and that’s OK,” Khan told CNN after the awards ceremony last year.
A clear winner was Singapore, with eleven bars in the top 50. But there were also new destinations that got well-deserved shoutouts. Craftroom became Osaka’s very first representative on the list, at 28th, and Changsha’s CMYK, at 43rd, was the very first bar from that Chinese city to be recognised.
The list, which was first compiled in 2017, added a new category this year recognizing best bar design. That honor went to Singapore’s Atlas, a gin-centric bar whose striking interior has made it popular on social media.
Also receiving praise as Bartender’s Bartender was Demie Kim of Seoul’s Zest, coming in second place. Kim, who hails from Busan, originally worked as a barista before getting into the cocktail industry.
Kim was recognized for his efforts to make Zest’s practices more sustainable.
“Sustainability is not just for the environment,” he said in a statement. “Sustainability is also how we promote and preserve Korean bar culture.”
Emma Sleight, head of content for 50 Best Bars and 50 Best Hotels, told CNN that Asia’s bar scene “is one of the best in the world, it’s incredibly young and dynamic and constantly changing. Every time you visit a city it can change. There are new bars opening all the time. I think it’s an incredibly exciting place to be.”
Fittingly enough, however, it was Antinori who got the last word. “Free drinks at Bar Leone for everyone tonight!” he shouted triumphantly, before leaning over to his colleagues and whispering, “The bar’s closed tonight, right?”
Asia’s 50 Best Bars for 2024
1. Bar Leone (Hong Kong)
2. Zest (Seoul)
3. Jigger & Pony (Singapore)
4. Coa (Hong Kong)
5. Bar Benfiddich (Tokyo)
6. Nutmeg & Clove (Singapore)
7. BKK Social Club (Bangkok)
8. Penrose (Kuala Lumpur)
9. Argo (Hong Kong)
10. The Aubrey (Hong Kong)
11. Virtue (Tokyo)
12. The Cocktail Club (Jakarta)
13. Vespers (Bangkok)
14. Hope & Sesame (Guangzhou)
15. Sago House (Singapore)
16. Nighthawk (Singapore)
17. Darkside (Hong Kong)
18. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar (Bangkok)
19. The Savory Project (Hong Kong)
20. Bar Cham (Seoul)
21. Bar Us (Bangkok)
22. The St. Regis Bar (Macau)
23. The SG Club (Tokyo)
24. Penicillin (Hong Kong)
25. Off the track (Singapore)
26. Quinary (Hong Kong)
27. Pants (Jakarta)
28. Craft Room (Osaka)
29. Smoke & Bitter (Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka)
30. Seller (Taichung, Taiwan)
31. Native (Singapore)
32. Origin Bar (Singapore)
33. The Curator (Manila)
34. The Bellwood (Tokyo)
35. Analogue Initiative (Singapore)
36. Bar Trigona (Kuala Lumpur)
37. Bar atmosphere (Taipei)
38. Employees Only (Singapore)
39. Barc (Kathmandu)
40. ZLB23 (Bengal, India)
41. Reka (Kuala Lumpur)
42.Fura (Singapore)
43. CMYK (Changsha, China)
44. The Public House (Taipei)
45. Mostly harmless (Hong Kong)
46. Alice (Seoul)
47. The Halflington (Hanoi)
48. The Chamber (Seoul)
49. Atlas (Singapore)
50. Pine & Co (Seoul)
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com
