North America’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will return for a second edition in May 2023, and the three-day spectacle will be held in San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
After a 2022 launch event in New York City, the ceremony will again unite the North American bar community in recognition of the best bars in the continent. Following last year’s debut, this year’s event program moves to Mexico, to shine the spotlight on the country’s world-leading cocktail scene. North America’s 50 Best Bars will be an unbridled celebration of the bartenders, bar owners and brands over three days of events in San Miguel de Allende, a short flight from Mexico City and three hours from Dallas, Texas.
Mexico’s Rising Presence on the Global Cocktail Stage and Travel Destination
- Mexico is the most visited country in Latin America by international travelers, with 22.4 million inbound visitors in 2022, and the top global travel destination for Americans
- The country fields some of the world’s best bars, with 11 on the current North America’s 50 Best Bars list, including Licorería Limantour, Hanky Panky, Baltra Bar, Handshake Speakeasy, Zapote Bar, Kaito del Valle, Café de Nadie, Sabina Sabe, El Gallo Altanero, Selva and Arca
San Miguel de Allende: A UNESCO World Heritage Site and Cocktails/Dining Hub
- 50 Best salutes Mexico’s world-leading bar scene and shines a light on one of its most unique cities with Spanish Colonial Baroque architecture, cobblestone streets, stately mansions, art galleries, colorful artisanal crafts markets and cosmopolitan bohemian lifestyle
- Compelling bars and restaurants include Bekeb, Luna Tapas Bar, BOVINE, Monkey Bar and MÜI Ramen Bar
Mark Sansom, Content Director for North America’s 50 Best Bars, says: “We can’t wait to launch our second North America’s 50 Best Bars awards program, which will be bigger and better than ever. This year’s celebration of the continent’s diverse bar scene will take place in San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful Mexican UNESCO World Heritage city with a renowned food and drink culture. Mexico’s cocktail caliber is without doubt one of the world’s finest, with Mexican bars ranking the highest in North America in the past two editions of The World’s 50 Best Bars. We can’t wait to get the entire North American bar community back together for our three-day series of live events.”
Highlights for the event program in San Miguel de Allende will include the Bartenders’ Feast, which takes place the night before the reveal of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2023. It will be followed by the glamorous awards ceremony itself on May 4, which will feature red-carpet arrivals and interviews, a drinks reception and of course, the countdown from No.50, down to No.1.
The awards gala will again be presented by the iconic ms. franky marshall. New for this year will be a brunch event, where awards attendees will gather the day following the ceremony to share stories of success, community, and reconnection.
The countdown of the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will also be broadcast live to a global audience who are not able to attend in person. Bars and cocktail lovers are invited to join through The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV channel on YouTube.
Ahead of the ceremony on Thursday, May 4, 50 Best will reveal the winners of two special awards designed to celebrate the exceptional achievements of one bar and one bartender over the past year:
- Michter’s Art of Hospitality. This award is voted for by all members of the North America’s 50 Best Bars Academy, who are asked to name the bar where they received the single best hospitality experience during the voting period.
- Altos Bartenders’ Bartender. This award is voted for by the bartenders behind those bars on this year’s list, who are asked to name one peer who has done more to further the craft of bartending than any other, with reference to their work to support the ongoing recovery of the bar sector in the wake of the pandemic.
Following the North America’s 50 Best Bars celebration will be Barra México, a bar show and cocktail week, which celebrates the very best in Latin American cocktail talent. Bartenders and cocktail aficionados from all over the world will be heading to San Miguel de Allende to celebrate both seminal events in the city.
Mauricio Trejo, Mayor of San Miguel de Allende, says: “We are pleased to be chosen to host North America’s 50 Best Bars. For such a prominent event to pick San Miguel de Allende, is proof of our world prestige in regards to our gastronomy, bars, lifestyle and luxurious experiences. This will not only help our international image but also support our local community to thrive. We are excited and they have our full commitment to make this event a world class experience.”
What’s New This Year and How the Voting Works
Beyond the new location of the awards ceremony in Mexico, some changes have been made to the voting Academy. The ranking for North America’s 50 Best Bars will reflect the best bar experiences based on the votes of the Academy members, who comprise anonymous North American bar industry experts (including bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and well-traveled cocktail connoisseurs) from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2023, the Academy has been expanded to 260 members. This change was implemented to obtain a wider snapshot and ensure a greater number of diverse voices voting for the awards. Moreover, as per all 50 Best lists for restaurants, bars and hotels, 25% of Academy members are refreshed annually to keep the perspectives dynamic and relevant. Members of the 50 Best organization do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that bars cannot apply to be on the list and no sponsors have any influence on the list.
The Academy is divided into 8 regions: USA Northeast; USA Midwest; USA West; USA South; Canada East; Canada West; Mexico; and the Caribbean. Each region has its own panel of members including a chairperson, called the Academy Chair. The Chairs each then select a voting panel, ensuring a balanced selection. Each North America Academy member will vote for 7 bars, with a maximum of 5 in the home country (or state in the U.S.) where they are based. Voters also have the option to vote for a further 2 (or more) bars located outside of their home country (or U.S. state) up to a maximum of 7.
Voting is carried out individually and strictly confidentially on a secure site and remains confidential before the list announcement. Academy Chairs are not privy to, and have no knowledge of, the votes cast by the voters in their respective regions. They are neither spokespeople for the 50 Best brand.
The list will be the result of a poll of more than 260 experts (all within the North American continent), who each cast votes for the bars where they have had their ‘best experience’ during the last 18 months before the voting deadline. The list is a simple computation of votes by North American voters for bars in North America. Further information on the Academy Chairs and how the voting works is available on the FAQs page here.
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