The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022, sponsored by Perrier, were unveiled at a live awards ceremony in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain on Oct. 4, with Barcelona’s Paradiso taking the No. 1 spot.

Marking the 14^th year of the list, and the first time it has been revealed outside of London, the awards unite the global bar community in recognition of the bartenders, bar owners and brands at the forefront of the international cocktail scene.

The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 features bars from 26 cities and Paradiso not only was named The Best Bar in Europe but also The World’s Best Bar. This is the first time this honour has been bestowed on a bar outside of the historic cocktail capitals of New York and London.

Hidden behind an antique refrigerator in the back of an unassuming pastrami shop in Barcelona’s trendy El Born district, Paradiso offers a masterful take on the speakeasy, combining technique, precision and creativity with an unwavering sense of fun. In stark contrast to the understated exterior, the majestic front bar welcomes guests into a strikingly playful space, complete with dramatic glass light fittings and Gaudi-inspired curved-wood ceiling.

At the bar, myriad meticulously crafted cocktails served in outlandish vessels take centre stage. Paradiso signatures, such as the Supercool Martini, uses ‘supercooled’ gin to build an iceberg in the glass before tailoring the final product tableside for a uniquely personal guest experience. From creating coasters and bar tools from single-use waste to hosting the first Paradiso Sustainability Summit, owners Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader and their outstanding team showcase their unwavering commitment to ongoing sustainability, both within Paradiso and the wider industry.

“The fact that this is the first time we have crowned a bar outside New York or London as The World’s Best Bar is a testament to the huge achievements of Giacomo, Margarita and their team,” Mark Sansom, Content Director of The World’s 50 Best Bars, said in announcing the results..”Since being named One To Watch in 2017 a year after opening, Paradiso has been a firm fixture of the 50 Best list, enhancing its ranking year after year.”

London regained its position as the cocktail capital of Europe with a total of five bars in the list. Barcelona placed three in the top 10, while Italy has four making the list. Paris, Lisbon, Oslo and Stockholm each have one bar on the list.

New York, meanwhile, leads the way with a whopping six bars in the list, more than any other city in the world, including two in the top 10. Chicago returns to the list for the first time since 2018 with Kumiko at No.25 and Miami’s Café La Trova has risen 7 places to No.21.

The list is compiled by votes from The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises more than 650 drinks experts with 50/50 gender parity, including renowned bartenders and consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists from around the world.

Read the full list and other 2022 awards at https://www.worlds50bestbars.com/list/1-50.