Sri Lanka has secured a place on Asia’s growing cocktail map, with Hiriketiya’s Smoke & Bitters earning the No.29 position on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026 list.
The recognition underscores the country’s growing international reputation as a destination for distinctive hospitality experiences and innovative cocktail culture.
Hope & Sesame’s ascent to No.1 at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026 crowns a breakthrough year for China and another dominant showing from Bangkok, while Singapore finds itself with rather less to celebrate.
Hope & Sesame has been crowned No.1 at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026, announced during a glitzy ceremony attended by the region’s cocktail royalty at Wynn Palace in Macau earlier this week. The iconic Guangzhou speakeasy hidden behind a traditional Cantonese store in the city’s Dongshankou district lands the title of The Best Bar in Asia and delivers Mainland China its most emphatic showing in the award rankings yet in a list that spanned 22 cities, along with 14 new entries and two re-entries among the top 50.
More importantly, the result represents something bigger than a trophy heading to Guangzhou. Hope & Sesame heads the gaggle of a record seven bars on the list for Mainland China. They include three in the top 10; aside from Hope & Sesame at No.1, there’s MO Bar Shenzhen at No.5, and newcomer Obsidian Bar, also in Shenzhen, at No.10. Then there’s Pony Up in Shanghai which debuted at No.19, followed by CMYK in Changsha at No.27, Ralph’s Bar in Chengdu at No.28 and Beijing’s Tiao at No.50.
This is a remarkable geographical spread for a country whose modern cocktail culture was once largely synonymous with Shanghai. Shenzhen now has two bars in Asia’s top 10, while Guangzhou has the best bar on the continent. Chengdu, Changsha and Beijing complete a showing that suggests China’s cocktail ambitions are no longer concentrated in one or two international-facing top tier cities.
Hope & Sesame’s victory itself has been some time coming. The bar founded by Bastien Ciocca and Andrew Ho has appeared in the top 50 for seven consecutive years, famous for its drinks that draw on Cantonese cuisine and the culinary traditions of Chinese communities around the world, translating regional flavours and nostalgic references into technically ambitious cocktails.
Bangkok remains the city to beat
China may have produced the winner, but Bangkok remains Asia’s cocktail city with the deepest bench.
The Thai capital put eight bars into the top 50 — more than any other city — with four of those sitting within the top 20. Dry Wave Cocktail Studio leads Bangkok’s charge at No.4 and takes The Best Bar in Thailand, followed by Bar Us at No.6 which also picked up the Sustainable Bar Award.
One of the evening’s biggest surprises is Lennon’s, the Rosewood Bangkok bar skyrocketing straight into the rankings at No.7 to claim the Highest New Entry Award. W Bangkok’s Bar Sathorn makes an equally impressive move in the right direction, climbing 31 places to No.17 and earning Highest Climber honours.
BKK Social Club in Four Seasons Bangkok follows at No.20, Opium at No.25 and G.O.D at No.31, while Aqua Bar makes its debut at No.48.
Bangkok’s continued dominance is impressive in an increasingly competitive regional landscape. Other Asian cities may periodically claim the No.1 position, but Bangkok continues to possess a depth of serious cocktail drinking that few other cities around the world can match.
Hong Kong comes closest with seven entries led by last year’s winner Bar Leone, which slips to No.3 but remains The Best Bar in Hong Kong. Gokan rises to No.22, perennial favourite agave bar Coa sits at No.24, while Mius debuts at No.36. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong’s Argo, Penicillin and new entry Montana round out Hong Kong’s representation.
Singapore has an uncomfortable year
And then there is Singapore.
For a city that spent much of the past decade positioning itself as one of the undisputed capitals of Asian cocktail culture, its four bars in the top 50 feels decidedly modest — particularly when viewed alongside Bangkok’s eight, Mainland China’s seven and Hong Kong’s seven.
Jigger & Pony remains Singapore’s standard bearer, placing No.9 and taking The Best Bar in Singapore. Nutmeg & Clove follows closely at No.12, with Offtrack at No.16. After that comes a sizeable gap before Origin Bar re-enters the list at No.43.
There is at least an important individual accolade for Singapore. Jigger & Pony co-founder Indra Kantono receives the Industry Icon Award for his influence on the regional bar industry and his role in Singapore’s development as a global cocktail destination.
The broader result is difficult to dress up. Singapore has historically enjoyed a disproportionately large presence on Asia’s 50 Best Bars relative to its size, making four entries a conspicuously subdued showing.
While the results may be disappointing for Singapore, Nutmeg & Clove’s Colin Chia says it’s not all bad news. “This is just a sign of how incredibly diverse Asia’s cocktail culture has been growing in recent years, and that is something to celebrate.”
Indeed, the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026 results arrive at a time when cocktail culture in Asia is spreading beyond its traditional strongholds. Jakarta equals Singapore with four entries, led by Modernhaus at No.11, while Bengaluru puts two bars into the top 30. Hanoi has Workshop14 at No.34 and newcomer The Hudson Rooms at No.46; Makati’s Problem Child debuts at No.44; while Smoke & Bitters puts the Sri Lankan beach town of Hiriketiya at No.29.
Singapore certainly has not suddenly forgotten how to make a decent Martini. Rankings are snapshots rather than definitive measurements of a city’s cocktail culture, and four places among Asia’s top 50 remains an achievement. Yet for the Lion City, once accustomed to occupying an outsized portion of Asia’s cocktail conversation, the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026 results could be a reason for it to start looking over its shoulder.
You can find the full Asia’s 50 Best Bars list for 2026 here below or more at the World’s 50 Best Bars website.
Source: Spirited Asia
--Agencies
