Singapore tops Asia’s 50 Best Bars list

Singapore’s speakeasy-style cocktail bar, 28 HongKong Street has placed first in 50 Asia’s Best Bars list.

The first regional spin-off of the World’s 50 Best Bars has just been announced with venues in Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo claiming the top five places.

The velvet curtained speakeasy, 28 HongKong Street in Singapore’s Chinatown was voted number one by Asia’s Academy members who represent the region’s drinks trade.

28 HongKong Street was started by San Franciscan bar whizz, Michael Callahan and is famous for not giving away any information on its website.

Speak Low in Shanghai was placed second, Tokyo’s High Five third, The Lobster Bar & Grill in Hong Kong fourth and Manhattan Bar in Singapore fifth.

Compiled by Drinks International magazine, the World’s Best Bars acts as the official guide to the world’s best watering holes and publishes the 50 best list annually.

Drinks International editor, Hamish Smith commented that as Asia has such a rapidly changing bar scene, he felt that it deserved its own awards.

“It’s a hackneyed view that things move more quickly in Asia, but there’s no denying its bar industry is developing at a dizzying pace. Hold on to your hats, bar world. Asia is coming – and its new breed of bartenders is also partial to hats.

“Five years ago the Asian bar industry was dominated by the wise old men of Japan and Singapore, with Hong Kong just behind. That picture has dramatically changed – our list of 50 has bars from 12 cities.

“The big change is in bartender-operated venues – a sure sign of a maturing landscape. In Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2016 we have restaurant bars, tiki joints, grand hotel bars to rival anything in the world, and right now it feels like there are more speakeasies in Asia than there were in Prohibition.”

For the full list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2016, click here.