The inaugural list of North America’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was announced at a live awards ceremony on June 7 at Capitale in New York City.
The new annual ranking features bars from across the North American continent, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
New York’s Attaboy was crowned No.1 as The Best Bar in North America, with Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy at No.2 and now boasting the title of The Best Bar in Mexico, followed by Licorería Limantour, also in the Mexican capital, close behind at No.3. Toronto’s Civil Liberties, at No.10, won the title of The Best Bar in Canada, while Puerto Rico’s La Factoría, at No.12, earns The Best Bar in the Caribbean accolade.
Overall, the United States leads the list with 29 bars, with Mexico fielding 11, Canada boasting eight, and the Caribbean celebrating two top bars.
The full list of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2022 is at the bottom of this article.
Mark Sansom, a director for North America’s 50 Best Bars, said, “We tip our hats to Attaboy, the legendary bar by Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy now celebrating 10 illustrious years of making cocktail history. Today, it adds to this glorious mixological legacy as it earns the No.1 spot on North America’s 50 Best Bars list 2022.”
Sansom said that despite its modest size, Attaboy has had an outsized influence on how we drink – not only in New York and the USA, but globally as well. “Under Haley Traub’s exuberant leadership and continuous innovation, we see this legacy shining brightly into the future,” he said.
Sansom added, “We commend all of the bars on the inaugural list of North America’s 50 Best Bars that are doing a stellar job invigorating the continent’s drinks scene as we emerge from what has been a very challenging time. Hospitality is an incredibly important engine of economic recovery and these bars’ creativity and determination demonstrate the best of our industry in North America.”
Elisa Gregori, Perrier’s international business unit director, noted, “North America is home to a vibrant bar community, marked by a variety of cultural influences, always putting hospitality at the center and continuously pushing for further development in community wellbeing. Consequently, it’s our pleasure to support 50 Best in shining a dedicated spotlight on the best bars in the region. A big congratulations from everyone at Perrier to the team behind Attaboy for being awarded the No.1 bar in North America, as well as all the bars that made the inaugural North America’s 50 Best Bars list.”
Special Accolades
In addition to naming the 50 bars on the list, The Bamboo Room in Chicago was presented with the Campari One To Watch award, which is given to a bar outside the main list that the 50 Best team believes has the ability to break into the ranking in future editions.
Mace, New York, earned the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu. Any bar on the North American continent was eligible to enter this award, which is graded by the global panel of 28 Academy Chairs. The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu rewards innovation, design, drinks craft and idea communication.
Christina Veira of Toronto’s Bar Mordecai (No. 47) was celebrated as the Roku Industry Icon. For this award, all 220 members of the voting Academy are asked to name the person who has done more for the progress of the bar industry than any other individual. In addition to being general manager of this community-focused bar, Veira is Toronto Cocktail Week’s director of programming and has emerged as a powerful voice for social justice in the hospitality sector.
Playa del Carmen’s Zapote Bar in Mexico clinched the London Essence Best New Opening title at No. 11, as the bar which enters the list in the highest position of any that have opened during the voting period. Created and operated by Rosewood Mayakoba, Zapote Bar is a love letter to the Yucatán, its products, culture and people.
Family-owned and operated Bar Kismet in Halifax secured the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, which is awarded to a bar that demonstrates the strongest commitment to sustainability. With a focus on sustainable seafood, Bar Kismet strives to find creative ways of using up ingredients in new ways to minimize waste from both the restaurant and the bar. The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award is independently adjudicated by 50 Best’s audit partner, the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
Other special award winners announced in the run-up to the event on June 7 included Overstory, New York, which was honored with the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award and Masahiro Urushido of NYC’s Katana Kitten, who earned the coveted title of Altos Bartenders’ Bartender.
The List of North America’s 50 Best Bars for 2022:
1. Attaboy – New York
2. Handshake Speakeasy – Mexico City
3. Licorería Limantour – Mexico City
4. Katana Kitten – New York
5. Kumiko – Chicago
6. Café La Trova – Miami
7. Baltra Bar – Mexico City
8. Dante – New York
9. Thunderbolt – Los Angeles
10. Civil Liberties – Toronto
11. Zapote Bar – Playa del Carmen
12. La Factoría – San Juan
13. Kaito del Valle – Mexico City
14. Sweet Liberty – Miami
15. Café de Nadie – Mexico City
16. Hanky Panky – Mexico City
17. Double Chicken Please – New York
18. Service Bar – Washington, D.C.
19. Raised by Wolves – San Diego
20. Sabina Sabe – Oaxaca
21. El Gallo Altanero – Guadalajara
22. Selva – Oaxaca
23. Amor y Amargo – New York
24. Jewel of the South – New Orleans
25. The Keefer Bar – Vancouver
26. Dear Irving – New York
27. Overstory – New York
28. Herbs & Rye – Las Vegas
29. El Pequeño Bar – Montreal
30. Employees Only - New York
31. The Dead Rabbit – New York
32. Broken Shaker – Miami
33. Friends and Family – Oakland
34. Death & Co (Los Angeles) – Los Angeles
35. Mace – New York
36. Death & Co (Denver) – Denver
37. Arca – Tulum
38. Mother – Toronto
39. ABV – San Francisco
40. El Floridita – Havana
41. Bar Raval – Toronto
42. Bar Leather Apron – Honolulu
43. Clover Club – New York
44. Bitter & Twisted – Phoenix
45. Cloakroom Bar – Montreal
46. Julep – Houston
47. Bar Mordecai – Toronto
48. Teardrop Lounge – Portland
49. Bar Kismet – Halifax
50. Genever – Los Angeles
To learn more about North America’s 50 Best Bars list, visit Worlds50BestBars.com/NorthAmerica.
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