It is the first time that the much-awaited drinks event will be held in the city, which has opened up its borders after tight travel restrictions in the last three years
The eighth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony is returning on July 18, and will be held in Hong Kong for the first time since its inception. The city is a fitting location for the bar community’s first full-scale reunion, says Asia’s 50 Best Bars content director Mark Sansom, thanks to its dynamic and amazing bar scene that continues to offer “innovative bar experiences” despite the tight border controls in the last three years.
Fifty of these exceptional bars from across Asia will be recognised at the live ceremony with the announcement of the much-anticipated 50 Best Bars ranking for 2023. While Sansom remains tight-lipped about this year’s results, he tells Tatler Dining that the primary goal of 50 Best is to “shine the spotlight on undiscovered drinking and dining experiences in underrated and lesser-known cities.”
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Thus, they have created the Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy, an anonymous group of 250 influential personalities in the drinks scene, to vote for their favourite watering holes based on their “best bar experiences”. Sansom adds that what defines the “best bar experiences” depends on the voters, who then nominate up to seven bars in Asia. The results are then adjudicated by Deloitte before the results are announced.
This year’s live ceremony will also recognise the bars that made it into the 51-100 extended list. It was launched in 2021 to recognise more innovative bar experiences that fall short of entering the Top 50 ranking. These will be honoured alongside the bar which will take home the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, as well as the bartender who will receive the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender award.
The Asia’s 50 Best Bars Awards ceremony will take place on July 18, with the exact venue to be revealed soon. Stay tuned for more updates.