Seven Cocktail Spots In London Have Made The New Europe 50 Best Bars List
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55 minutes ago
Which homegrown bars won a gong last night?
The World’s 50 Best Bars is sort of like the Oscars for the drinks world – each year the ceremony takes over a different festival hall, restaurant or venue around the world, with a week of conviviality in the run-up to the big announcement. Last year, 1,000 bar professionals gathered in Hong Kong to hear who would take home the coveted title of the absolute best in the world (in that ceremony it was Bar Leone, a pootle down the road). This October, they will take over the streets of Milan, announcing the next ultimate champion.
But, before then, a new award zooms in on a continent closer to home. The Europe 50 Best Bars held its inaugural ceremony last night – and seven London bars took home a gong. Read on to discover which of our bars made the list.
These 7 London Bars Are Officially Among The Best In Europe
No. 47: Scarfes Bar, Holborn
Named for satirical cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, this swish Bloomsbury bar in the Rosewood London has just swooped into the list at No. 47. Scarfes Bar regularly changes its menus – frequently playing on motifs from Scarfe’s career. Its current director of bars, Andy Loudon, has worked all across the world, including the Tippling Club in Singapore, and in London at Satan’s Whiskers, which also made the inaugural Europe 50 Best Bars list.
No. 41: Three Sheets, Soho
First there was the Three Sheets in Dalston, which still today proves to be so popular that gaining a table is a CV-worthy feat, and then there was the Soho outpost from the Venning brothers. It’s this latter which has landed on the list at No. 41 (50 Best call it proof that ‘sometimes the sequel can be better than the original’). Located on Manette Street, the Three Sheets reportedly develops drinks over the course of months, and favours ‘clarified creations’. It boasts a food menu from a head chef who trained under Simon Rogan.
No. 40: Kwānt Mayfair
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Mayfair has no shortage of souped-up bars, but the one that landed at No. 40 was Kwānt Mayfair. This spot is the brainchild of ex-Savoy American Bar bartender Erik Lorincz who has constructed a cinematic space – styled with a tropical theme throughout, with Polynesian artworks, yellow bouclé banquettes, ceiling fans and all – with a daring menu. Drinks are for the adventurous; the See the Sea contains langoustine distillate.
No. 23: Waltz, Shoreditch
Japanese-inspired listening bars are the latest rage but Waltz in East London, which has been named No. 23 on the new list, is that and more. Combine capacity for just 23 drinkers at any one time, its hi-fidelity sound system and particularly slick aesthetics (the eight-metre bar counter is carved from a fallen elm tree sourced in Angel, no less), and no wonder it also brought home the Three Cents Best New Opening Award, too. The cocktails are Japanese-inspired but fairly classic; try the Matcha Old Fashioned.
No. 12: Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch
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Monica Berg and Alex Kratena’s Tayēr + Elementary landed at a formidable No. 12. The bar opened in Shoreditch in 2019 and it’s really two bars in one – Elementary has your traditional serves while Tayēr is its more intimate experimental space, which employs seasonal ingredients in a daily changing menu.
No. 11: Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green
Satan’s Whiskers has been kicking around since 2013 and behind the dive bar facade is an intimate, quirky venue that has nipped in at No. 11. Current head bartender Oliver Sagerström Blom is a wizard – drinks in this Bethnal Green spot are made entirely from scratch (i.e. no prebatching) and the East 8 Hold-Up was invented here.
No. 10: Connaught Bar, Mayfair
At No. 10, the highest spot occupied by a London bar, is the legendary Connaught Bar inside the eponymous Mayfair hotel. Agostino Perrone and Giorgio Bargiani are at the helm, and you can expect martini trolleys, high-pours and total theatre as part of any night spent here. There are no reservations – arrive early to secure a table.
Find the full list at theworlds50best.com
