2026 Asia's 50 Best Bars Revealed: Hope & Sesame Claims Top Spot
Guangzhou's Hope & Sesame Makes History, Claims 2026 Asia's Best Bar Crown
The 2026 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars was officially announced at a live awards ceremony in Macau. The biggest highlight of this year's event was Hope & Sesame from Guangzhou, China, successfully defeating Hong Kong's Bar Leone to claim the title of Asia's Best Bar for the first time. The bar has been listed for seven consecutive years, highly recognized for its forward-thinking interpretation of Chinese cocktail culture, jumping six spots from last year.
In other top rankings, Seoul's Zest secured second place for the third consecutive year, while last year's global champion Bar Leone from Hong Kong slipped to third. Bangkok and Hong Kong remain the biggest winners in this year's list, claiming eight and seven spots respectively, while Singapore also made a strong showing with four bars. Notably, Shenzhen's MO Bar performed exceptionally well, soaring 16 places to break into the top five.
Special Awards and Industry Excellence Standards
In addition to the overall rankings, several major individual and brand special awards were presented at the ceremony. Among them, Shelley Tai from Hong Kong's Mius won the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award, while the bar also secured the SevenRooms Best Bar Design Award; Hong Kong's Coa was honored with the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award. Furthermore, Sri Lanka's Smoke & Bitters won the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award, and Bangkok's Bar Us took home the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award.
Faye Huggett, Content Director for Asia’s 50 Best Bars, stated that this year's list fully demonstrates the diversity, creativity, and resilience of Asian cocktail culture. From steady industry leaders to ambitious new faces, all bars on the list continue to elevate hospitality excellence across the region and set a new benchmark for the future development of bartending art.
📅 Publish Date: 2026-07-29
🔗 Source: https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2026/07/guangzhous-hope-sesame-named-asias-best-bar/