Bangkok scores big with six entries on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018 list
Looking for a good spot in town to grab a drink? Well, according to the 2018 list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, Bangkok has six of the best watering holes in this hemisphere. The winners were announced last month during a special awards ceremony held in Singapore at the Capitol Theatre, and fittingly Singapore’s own Manhattan bar took the number one spot… for the second time running!
Overall, Singapore and China were the big country winners, with 12 bars each on the list, but Thailand—more specifically, Bangkok—held its own just fine. Ku Bar and Smalls were the city’s two new entries this year, at No.49 and No.29 respectively, while The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental hotel claimed the No.9 spot (up from No.13 last year), making them the recipients of the ‘Best Bar in Thailand’ award as well.
Equally impressive advancements were made by the fun-loving boys at Backstage, who clocked in at No.13 this year—up five places from 2017—while creative cocktail kings Vesper rose an impressive 13 places, jumping from No.40 to No.27. Finally, Chinatown’s favourite gin joint Teens of Thailand claimed the No.44 spot, up two notches from last year. Surprisingly, Q&A bar dropped off the list altogether, which poses more questions than answers (ha ha!).
Other major awards handed out during the ceremony included the Campari One to Watch—a special award given to the industry’s rising-stars—which went to Thong Lor’s swanky speakeasy Rabbit Hole.
The ranking is based on the votes of Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy members, comprising the most knowledgeable and travelled members of the bar industry, drinks media, and mixology experts from across Asia. The Academy spans 14 countries, and dozens of cities across the continent, reflecting the relative development and importance of bar scenes in different locations, and showcasing the diversity of the drinking scene in Asia.
Asia’s 50 Best Bars and The World’s 50 Best Bars are
owned and organized by William Reed Business Media, the group behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. For the full list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018 visit: www.worlds50bestbars.com/asia.
By Bruce Scott
