The best place to sip a Negroni may be Hong Kong, not Italy.

Bar Leone, an Italian-themed watering hole in the city’s buzzy Central district, scored first place in the World’s 50 Best Bars list this year. The 17th edition of the annual list was announced at an awards ceremony in Hong Kong on Wednesday evening, marking the first time a bar in Asia has claimed top position.

Bar Leone opened less than three years ago, but has been crowned Asia’s best bar for the past two years. It also clinched second place in the World’s 50 Best Bars list last year. The brainchild of Roman bartender Lorenzo Antinori, Bar Leone is an ode to the neighborhood bars of Rome and is focused on cocktail popolari, or “cocktails for the people.” To that end, the cocktail menu is a regularly updated Google Doc that details full recipes to ensure each drink is accessible to all.

Antinori, who has worked in top-tier hotel bars across Europe, has eschewed the complexity of modern mixology in favor of straightforward, unpretentious tipples that spotlight quality local ingredients. Guests can sip Yuzu Negronis and Olive Oil Sours and savour snacks like mortadella focaccia and smoked olives, with the venue offering a taste of the Eternal City in the center of Hong Kong.

Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy, which topped the list last year, was relegated to second place but retained the title of best bar in North America. Barcelona hotspots Sips and Paradiso landed in third and fourth, while London favorite Tayēr + Elementary nabbed fifth. Another London legend, Connaught Bar, came sixth, followed by Moebius Milano in Milan, Line in Athens, Jigger & Pony in Singapore, Tres Monos in Buenos Aires, and  Alquímico in Cartagena.

New York City remains the cocktail mecca of the Americas, with four Big Apple bars making this year’s list, including the East Village’s Superbueno (rising 15 places to 12),  the West Village’s Sip & Guzzle (39), the Lower East Side’s Double Chicken Please (41), and FiDi’s Overstory (46). New Orleans also represented the U.S., with Jewel of the South scraping in at 44.

Rankings aside, Mexico City’s Bar Mauro was named One to Watch, New York’s Sip & Guzzle was crowned Best New Opening, Sydney’s Tigra + Disco Pantera received the Best Bar Design award, Penang’s Backdoor Bodega secured the Best Cocktail Menu award, and Greece’s Baba au Rum took the Legend of the List award. 

The World’s 50 Best list is voted on by more than 800 experts in the beverage industry, including bartenders, consultants, writers, and cocktail specialists. You can check out the full list below.

The World’s 50 Best Bars list for 2025