Top 50 Cocktail Bars

How the List is Created

How the List is Created

In truth, the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list is compiled by the bar industry, making it a unique list of venues those in the know like to visit. We recruit over 100 industry experts which make up our voting academy, from bartenders and owners, to drinks writers and influencers. This helps us curate an extra special list which has something for every type of drinker.

The voters

Each voter is hand-selected by our communities manager, if you are interested in joining future academies then please contact Charli at charli.tomney@wrbm.com with a brief outline of why you think you’d be suitable.

To ensure each region in the UK has an equal opportunity to shine, our voters are broken down into six geographical regions.

Each voter has four votes, including for one cocktail bar in their region and three others from anywhere else in the UK.

Top 50 Cocktail Bars community manager, Charli Tomney says “I am so excited to bring back this event with a bang. We have a real variety of bars, some with a capacity of 24 people some with 300. There are bars with spirit specialities, new bars that have opened just months ago and some female-owned businesses from across the UK.”

Chris Lowe, publisher of Top 50 Cocktail Bars, said: “We have created Top 50 Cocktail Bars to help people find the best bars, which are often hidden, around the UK.

“London still has more bars on the list than any other city but having almost all of the UK’s major cities represented showcases the explosion of great venues on the cocktail scene.”


The Specialist Awards

There are four additional awards presented at the event – One to Watch, Newcomer of the year, Bar Team of the Year, and Sustainable Bar of the Year.

All awards are entered into and judged by a small panel of industry experts who visit the bars, interview the team and choose the winners who they believe deserve to be recognised. The winners are announced on the night at the event and shared live on our Instagram alongside the 1-50 list!

Watch the 2023 event highlights below!