When it comes to cocktail bars, it’s safe to say we’ve got you covered in London. Whether you’re after a lively spot to take all your friends or somewhere to sip at carefully created cocktail creations, London has a bar (or 10) for you. Now, we can also say we are officially home to the very best cocktail bar in the UK.
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars ranking was unveiled last night (February 11) at a ceremony in London. At the ceremony, none other than the legendary Bethnal Green bar Satan’s Whiskers was recognised as the very best bar in the UK. This marks the third time that the lauded establishment has taken the top spot at the awards. The ‘bartenders bar’ was praised for its daily-changing menu and “exceptional classic cocktails using a range of spirits and ingredients the bartenders are truly proud of”.
London bars also made an impressive showing overall across the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list. Venues from our fair city accounted for 25 of the Top 50 Cocktail Bars. We even dominated the top 10 – taking 5 of the top spots. What can we say? Our bars are pretty damn good…
The UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars
But let’s not get too cocky. The awards weren’t only about London’s venues. The list of top bars also recognised some truly impressive establishments from across the UK. Joining Satan’s Whiskers in the top 10 were bars from Edinburgh, Manchester, the West Midlands, Birmingham, and Somerset. The wider list also included top-notch bars from Leeds, Glasgow, Bristol, and beyond.
The top 10 bars in the UK are:
- Satan’s Whiskers – Bethnal Green, London
- Panda and Sons – Edinburgh, Midlothian
- SCHOFIELD’S BAR – Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Couch – Stirchley, West Midlands
- Tayēr + Elementary – Shoreditch, London
- Swift Soho – Soho, London
- Passing Fancies – Digbeth, Birmingham
- Dram – Soho, London
- The Hideout – Bath, Somerset
- Lyaness – South Bank, London
Other London bars that made the top 50 list were Dalston’s Three Sheets (#13), Kensington’s AMARO BAR (#14), Notting Hill’s Viajante87 (#17), and Mayfair’s iconic The Connaught Bar (#20) among many others.
Some of London’s bars and bartenders were also singled out for specialist awards. Crouch End’s quiet cult-favourite bar, Little Mercies, received the Sustainable Bar of the Year award. Hackney’s stylish Equal Parts was recognised as One to Watch. And Mandi Tabatabai from The Cocktail Trading Co. was named the Rising Star of the cocktail scene.
See the full list of the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars here.