The highly anticipated Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 list is finally out, and there is a brilliant reason for local enthusiasts to let their glasses clink. This year, 3 exceptional Indian bars have successfully made it onto the prestigious international index. The 50 Best is a globally recognised organisation that celebrates excellence, remarkable innovation, and emerging trends across the global food and drinks industry. It is incredibly safe to say that the Indian bar scene has firmly established itself on the massive global stage. You no longer need to look overseas for exciting international trends, because experimental mixology is stirring things up much closer to home. However, if you mistakenly assume that this success is purely a Delhi and Mumbai thing, you are in for a surprise. In fact, this year, exactly 0 bars from either of those major cities managed to break into the top 50. Instead, the undisputed frontrunner for India this season was Bengaluru, as 2 out of the 3 featured Indian venues are proudly located in this southern city.

India Shines on the Global Stage

Leading the charge for the country is Goa's Boilermaker, which proudly secured the ultimate title of The Best Bar in India while ranking at number 8 on the overall list. This fantastic Goan bar is completely focused on a creative beer and whisky fusion. Officially launched in 2024, Boilermaker beautifully takes its cue from susegad, a traditional Goan concept that strongly reflects a calm, unhurried, and friendly outlook on daily life. Their menu features craft beer alongside highly innovative cocktails infused with feni and several other regional ingredients. Next up on the list is Soka, located in Bengaluru, which successfully landed at the 18th spot. Impressively, it jumped almost 10 places from last year. Tucked away in Indiranagar, this popular bar also champions local ingredients and joyfully celebrates unique regional flavours through its innovative cocktails.

Bengaluru Takes the Spirit Forward

Continuing the winning streak, Bengaluru's Bar Spirit Forward secured the 30th position. This venue reinforced the southern city's incredible ascent with its refined Japanese omakase approach to drink-making. It successfully climbed 7 spots from last year and is definitely taking the bar spirit forward. Looking back briefly at last year, the list also prominently included Delhi's Lair at the 40th spot and ZLB23 in Bengaluru at the 31st position. Furthermore, the extended list of bars ranked from 51st to 100 was announced earlier. Here, 2 more Indian venues gained recognition, with Bar Outrigger in Goa and AABBCC in Delhi clinching the 51st and 85th spots, respectively. Surprisingly, there is no bar from Mumbai on the charts this year. According to the official release, the 2026 list signals a clear expansion beyond established capitals, with brilliant bars in emerging new cities actively strengthening the overall cocktail map of Asia.

The Wider Asian Cocktail Map

The grand Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 rankings were officially unveiled at the luxurious Wynn Palace located in Macau, recognising 50 incredible bars spread across 22 different cities. These important rankings are strictly based on confidential votes gathered from the Asia's 50 Best Bars Academy. This academy is an expert panel consisting of more than 300 professional bartenders, dedicated drinks writers, industry educators, and cocktail experts from right across the region. Leading the entire pack this year was Hope & Sesame based in Guangzhou, which took the number 1 position. This was closely followed by Zest in Seoul, taking the number 2 place. Bar Leone in Hong Kong comfortably secured the number 3 spot, while the Dry Wave Cocktail Studio located in Bangkok ranked at number 4. Finally, Mo Bar Shenzhen beautifully completed the top 5 group, finishing at the number 5 position.

Source: Information based on the Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 official release and rankings unveiled at Wynn Palace in Macau.

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Three Indian bars shine on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 list

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