World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 revealed, with Barcelona’s Paradiso No1

London and New York have lost their grip on the coveted World’s Best Bar trophy.

For the first time ever, a bar outside these two cities ranks No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Bars awards, with Paradiso in Barcelona declared 2022’s winner.

London, however, regains its position as the cocktail capital of Europe with a total of five bars on the list – now in its 14th year – including Tayer + Elementary, which maintains its place at No.2. The other four London bars in the ranking are last year’s winner, Connaught Bar – which slips to No.8 – Satan’s Whiskers (No.23), Swift (No.30) and A Bar with Shapes for a Name at No.37.

Paradiso (above) in Barcelona ranks No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022

The Paradiso team celebrating their victory at the World’s 50 Best Bars awards in Barcelona

An imaginative Paradiso concoction

New York, meanwhile, dominates the list even more overall, with six bars ranked – more than any other city in the world. Two make the top 10 – Double Chicken Please is sixth and Katana Kitten rises one place to ninth. The Big Apple also has Attaboy at No.22, Overstory at No. 34, Dante at No.36 and Employees Only at No.47. Chicago returns to the list for the first time since 2018 with Kumiko at No.25 and Miami’s Cafe La Trova has risen seven places to No.21.

The Perrier-sponsored awards ceremony took place on Tuesday night in Barcelona, with the list compiled by votes from The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises more than 650 drinks experts, including renowned bartenders and consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists.

Winner Paradiso – which is located in the back of an unassuming pastrami shop in Barcelona’s trendy El Born district – is described by the awards as a ‘truly masterful take on the speakeasy, combining technique, precision and creativity with an unwavering sense of fun’.

The list is compiled by votes from The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises more than 650 drinks experts, including renowned bartenders and consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists

London’s Tayer + Elementary, which has been named the second-best bar in the world for 2022

Barcelona’s Sips, pictured, ranks third in the coveted top 50 ranking

Pictured above is fourth-place Licorería Limantour in Mexico City

Little Red Door in Paris (above) has been named this year as the fifth-best bar on the planet

New York dominates this year’s list, with the city’s Double Chicken Please (above) ranking sixth

The judges add: ‘In stark contrast to the understated exterior, the majestic front bar welcomes guests into a strikingly playful space, complete with dramatic glass light fittings and a Gaudi-inspired curved-wood ceiling.

‘At the bar, myriad meticulously crafted cocktails served in outlandish vessels take centre stage. Paradiso signatures, such as the Supercool Martini, use “supercooled” gin to build an iceberg in the glass before tailoring the final product tableside for a uniquely personal guest experience.

‘From creating coasters and bar tools from single-use waste to hosting the first Paradiso Sustainability Summit, owners Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader and their outstanding team showcase their unwavering commitment to ongoing sustainability, both within Paradiso and the wider industry.’

According to the awards, London is the cocktail capital of Europe with a total of five bars on the list. Pictured above is the city’s Satan’s Whiskers, which comes 23rd

The interior of London’s Satan’s Whiskers bar

Mark Sansom, Content Director of The World’s 50 Best Bars, says: ‘The fact that this is the first time we have crowned a bar outside New York or London as The World’s Best Bar is a testament to the huge achievements of Giacomo, Margarita and their team.

‘Since being named One To Watch in 2017, a year after opening, Paradiso has been a firm fixture of the 50 Best list, enhancing its ranking year after year. It is an honour to name it The World’s Best Bar and the win is credit to Paradiso’s outlandishly inventive cocktail programme, sustainable ethos, work in the global bar community and brilliant sense of fun.’

Paradiso is joined on the list by Spanish bars Sips (No.3) and Two Schmucks (No.7) in Barcelona, and Madrid’s Salmon Guru at No.15.

The Best Bar in South America, at No.10, is Cartagena’s Alquimico. Buenos Aires has three entries, with Floreria Atlantico at No.18, Tres Monos at No.27 and CoChinChina at No.42. Lima’s Carnaval has re-entered the list at No.44.

The Best Bar in Australasia is Maybe Sammy (above) at No.29, one of two Sydney bars in this year’s ranking alongside Cantina OK! at No.41

Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong each have two bars in the list, with Singapore’s Jigger & Pony (above, No.12) named The Best Bar in Asia

Dubai has three bars on the list, including Zuma (above) at No.38, named The Best Bar in the Middle East and Africa for the third year in a row

Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong each have two bars on the list, with Singapore’s Jigger & Pony (No.12) named The Best Bar in Asia.

Dubai has three bars on the list, including Zuma at No.38, named The Best Bar in the Middle East and Africa for the third year in a row.

The Best Bar in Australasia is Maybe Sammy at No.29, one of two Sydney bars in this year’s ranking alongside Cantina OK! at No.41.