The top 50 cocktail bars across the UK have been revealed in a new list, including five destinations around Scotland.
Sponsored by drinks company Franklin & Sons, the list was announced at a live event in London earlier this week. The top Scottish bar to appear is Panda & Sons in Edinburgh at number six.
The cocktail bar is located on Queen Street in the capital and fuses "the classic Prohibition style speakeasy" with a vintage barbershop aesthetic. It opened in 2013 as "a place where all ages and all people would feel welcome".
Among the cocktails on offer are a Buzzin Paloma—made up of Cold Brew Cordial, Don Julio Blanco, and Salted Pink Grapefruit Soda—and Dubai in the Sky, which includes Clarified Yuzu Cordial, Tanqueray No. Ten, Calvados, Pink Grapefruit, and Absinthe.
The second highest Scottish bar to appear on the list is Bramble, also found in Edinburgh. Placing at number 13, the acclaimed cocktail bar serves up classic and nouveau concoctions in an understated and subterranean space.
Following behind at number 25 is The Absent Ear in Glasgow, another speakeasy-style bar. Inspired by Van Gogh, it serves up flamboyant and high-concept cocktails.
The final two bars to appear on the list are Hey Palu in Edinburgh and Lunar in Glasgow, at numbers 27 and 49 respectively. The former is an intimate and modern Italian bar serving "grown-up drinks accompanied by a killer playlist", while the latter specialises in natural wines and seasonal cocktails.
Publisher of Top 50 Cocktail Bars Chris Lowe said: "Whilst London continues to dominate this year’s list, it is very exciting to see other major cities across the UK make their mark. The ever-growing interest in cocktails and bartending within the UK means we are spoilt for choice on where to go, and this list allows for the best of the UK bar scene to have a spotlight placed on them – and for consumers to find these hidden gems."
Host of this year's Top 50 Cocktail Bars event Aidy Smith added: "It was my absolute honour to join the Top 50 Cocktail Bars family last year and present an awards programme which sits at the beating heart of our industry. It’s been a rough couple of years and these people have fought relentlessly to keep the nations spirit's high in so many wonderful ways - it’s time to pay a nod to that.
"I’m raring to go and couldn’t be more excited to announce the liquid pioneers of 2023. From the Northern coast of Scotland and the valleys of Wales to the southern tip of England, this Isle is home to some of the best mixology and bar-team talent on the planet and it’s my pride and honour to read each and every name on the list."
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars for 2023
- Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green, London
- Lab 22, Cardiff
- Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch, London
- SCHOFIELD'S BAR, Manchester
- Swift, Soho, London
- Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
- Three Sheets, Dalston, London
- Speak in Code, Manchester
- Bar with Shapes for a Name, Hackney, London
- The Connaught, Mayfair, London
- Little Mercies, Crouch End, London
- Couch, Birmingham
- Bramble, Edinburgh
- The Pineapple Club, Birmingham
- Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth
- Disrepute, Soho, London
- Artesian, Oxford Circus, London
- Hideout, Bath
- Nightjar, Shoreditch, London
- Present Company, Liverpool
- Publiq, South Kensington, London
- Scarfes Bar, Holborn, London
- Lyaness, South Bank, London
- Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum, Chinatown, London
- The Absent Ear, Glasgow
- Happiness Forgets, Hoxton, London
- Hey Palu, Edinburgh
- Filthy XIII, Bristol
- Homeboy, Islington, London
- Soma, Soho, London
- Coupette, Bethnal Green, London
- Passing Fancies, Birmingham
- Bar Termini, Soho, London
- Seed Library, Shoreditch, London
- Murder Inc, Soho, London
- Penny Royal, Cardiff
- Callooh Callay, Shoreditch, London
- Silverleaf, Liverpool St, London
- Public, Sheffield
- Fox & Chance, Birmingham
- Blinker, Manchester
- Below Stairs, Leeds
- Milk Thistle, Bristol
- Gungho!, Brighton
- Hedonist, Leeds
- Amaro, Kensington, London
- Cottonmouth, Nottingham
- Tabula Rasa, Leeds
- Lunar, Glasgow
- Bench, Sheffield
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