Hong Kong cocktail bar The Old Man has nabbed the top spot on the annual Asia’s 50 Best Bars list, ousting Singapore bar Manhattan.
Manhattan at the Regent Singapore, which held the No. 1 ranking for two years running, placed at No. 2, while Taipei’s Indulge Experimental Bistro was placed No. 3.
The list was announced at an awards ceremony held at Capitol Theatre on Thursday night and was attended by about 600 of the region’s top bartenders, bar owners and industry figures.
The Old Man, a concept by bartenders Agung Prabowo, James Tamang and Roman Ghale, pays homage to famed author and drinker Ernest Hemingway.
The bar, which entered the list last year at No. 5 in its first year of operations, is known for its inventive drinks named after Hemingway’s works, such as Death In The Afternoon – a mix of absinthe, sparkling wine and coco-pandan yogurt.
In February, the bar opened a Singapore spin-off in Keong Saik Road, also called The Old Man, which is helmed by founder and managing partner Andrew Yap.
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Asia’s 50 Best Bars – the top 10
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1. The Old Man (Hong Kong)
2. Manhattan (Singapore)
3. Indulge Experimental Bistro (Taipei)
4. Native (Singapore)
5. Atlas (Singapore)
6. High Five (Tokyo)
7. Speak Low (Shanghai)
8. The Bamboo Bar At Mandarin Oriental (Bangkok)
9. Jigger & Pony (Singapore)
10. Quinary (Hong Kong)
While China claimed 12 spots on the list, Singapore bars still had a strong showing, with 11 bars making the list this year.
Native in Amoy Street climbed four spots to No. 4, while Atlas at Parkview Square in Bugis fell one spot to No. 5.
Jigger & Pony at the Amara hotel was the highest climber, scaling 33 spots to No. 9.
Outside the top 10, the Republic was represented by Tippling Club (falling four spots to No. 11), Gibson (rising seven spots to No. 15), 28 HongKong Street (falling nine spots to No. 21), Operation Dagger (falling three spots to No. 22), D.Bespoke (rising seven places to No. 25), Employees Only (falling 18 spots to No. 41) and The Other Room (rising four places to No. 46).
The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list has been published annually since 2016, based on votes from more than 200 industry experts across the region’s bar scene.
This year’s edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars also kicks off a three-year partnership between the 50 Best organisation and Singapore Tourism Board, which will see The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards held here for the first time at Marina Bay Sands on June 25, as well as the Asian debut of The World’s 50 Best Bars awards in 2021.
