World’s 50 Best Bars: two from Hong Kong, six from Singapore. The American Bar in London No 1

Quinary in Central, known for its inventive cocktails, takes 40th place, while the opulent Lobster Bar in the Island Shangri-La squeaks in at 49th. London has eight bars on the list including the top spot, and New York has seven

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MAntonio Lai in his bar Quinary in Central that was awarded 40th place on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. Photo: May Tse

Susan Jung

Published: 5:45pm, 6 Oct 2017Updated: 12:47am, 7 Oct 2017

Twelve bars in Asia – including two in Hong Kong and six in Singapore – have been named among the World’s 50 Best Bars.

Interior of Quinary which took 40th place.

Coming in at number 40 is Antonio Lai’s Quinary in Central, with its inventive drinks such as Lavender Meringue Pie and Earl Grey Caviar Martini, and ranked 49th was the Lobster Bar at the Island Shangri-La hotel, with its classic drinks vying on the menu with more creative ones. The American Bar at The Savoy in London was named the world’s best bar at the awards ceremony, held in London’s Southwark Cathedral on Thursday.

Interior of the Atlas Bar in Singapore which came 15th on the World’s 50 Best Bars list.

The six bars in Singapore to make the top 50 are Manhattan, in seventh place, Atlas (15th), Operation Dagger (24th), 28 Hongkong Street (25th), Tippling Club (31st) and Native (47th). Speak Low in Shanghai took 10th place, and Indulge Experimental Bistro in Taipei 28th place. Tokyo’s High Five ranked 13th and Bar Benfiddich 36th.

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Among other bars around the world to be ranked were two in Athens (The Clumsies came sixth and Baba au Rum was 30th best), three in Paris – Little Red Door (11th), Candelaria (19th), and Le Syndicat (34th) – Mexico City’s Licoreria Limantour, in 14th place), Oslo’s Himkok (20th), Buenos Aires’ Floreria Atlantico (23rd), and Tel Aviv’s Imperial Craft (50th).

Lobster Bar and Grill at the Island Shangri-La was 49th on the list.

The city with the most bars on the list is London, with eight, while New York has seven.

The World’s 50 Best Bars – an offshoot of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list – is compiled by taking votes from an international academy of bar experts (such as bartenders and bar owners), drinks writers and cocktail specialists.