From New York to Tokyo, London to Sydney, great cocktail bars are scattered far and wide. Photo / Getty Images
From New York to Tokyo, London to Sydney, great cocktail bars are scattered far and wide. Photo / Getty Images
Who better to ask for their opinions on the world's premium cocktail bars than some of the world's premier bartenders? As recognition of their skills and creativity has grown, they're increasingly asked to travel globally to judge cocktail-making competitions, host seminars and appear as guest bartenders.
From New York to Tokyo, with a few London recommendations in between, they share their favourite haunts.
Jim Meehan
I'm a fan of Bar High Five in Tokyo (Ginza 7-2-14 No 26 Polestar Building, 4th Floor Chuo, Tokyo, Japan). Look past the hair and glasses, the shiny ice-diamonds and the delicious, elegantly prepared cocktails, and you'll find a deeply empathetic, engaging bartender with a sharp wit and dark sense of humour; Hidetsugu Ueno is a national treasure.
In Copenhagen, Ruby (Nybrogade 10, Copenhagen, Denmark) goes to show that great bars evolve over time. Since they opened Ruby in 2007, Rasmus Lomborg and his team have made numerous tweaks to the place, philosophically and aesthetically, making it one of the best bars in the world.
In Boston, Drink (348 Congress St, Boston, Massachusetts) looks and operates differently from any other bar; there are huge ice-blocks behind the bar and no menu — drinks are custom-made for each guest. Owner John Gertsen has created the bar of his dreams.
•Jim Meehan owns the award-winning PDT in New York and is a former American Bartender of the Year at the Tales of the Cocktail festival.
Salvatore Calabrese
For me, it has to be a bar in Britain, and being from a hotel background I'll go for a hotel bar. I like Artesian at the Langham, but my absolute favourite is the Connaught Bar (Connaught Hotel, Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL). I love the feeling of this bar. The design is clever — sophisticated but comfortable — and I like the way you feel as though you're seated in a corner wherever you're positioned in the room.
Head barman Agostino Perrone is an exceptional host and his drinks are second to none.
•In cocktail circles, Salvatore Calabrese is known as "The Maestro". He can be found in his bar, Salvatore's, at the Playboy Club in London, and has won World's Best Drink Selection in the Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail.
Salvatore Calabrese shakes hands with a competitor in the Diageo Reserve World Class cocktail competition. Photo / Getty Images
Ben Warren
My choice is Buck and Breck, Berlin (Brunnenstrasse 177).
It's tucked away from the hustle and bustle next to an old police station in the Mitte district. The small room is almost completely taken up by the large, black, square bar and the 14 bar stools surrounding it. It has a chef's table kind of feel to it, with everyone sitting around enjoying watching the drinks being prepared.
It's quite low-key in that the music isn't intrusive, the lighting isn't too bright and people are not too loud.
You're able to sit down and have a very well-crafted drink from the menu or of your own choice.
The bar has only one station, so there can be a rush on for the bartender, who works with most of his bottles in built-in speed rails in front of him. There are no branded bottles; instead, bottles are distinguished by different stripes and dots around the neck. All the guys working there are really friendly and all the drinks I've tried were great.
•Ben Warren is a bartender at Door 74, Amsterdam.
Hidetsugu Ueno
I'm not a big drinker so when I go to bars, I'm not looking for drinks — I look for the quality of the bartenders and service. The bars I've chosen as my favourites are all about hospitality and making the customers happy.
For skilled staff and excellent service, my favourite bartenders and bars are Timo Janse at Door 74, Amsterdam (Reguliersdwarsstraat 74I, Amsterdam); Simone Caporale at Artesian Bar, London (the Langham, 1C Portland Place, London W1B 1JA) and Mario Kappes at Le Lion, Hamburg (Rathausstrasse 3).
•Hidetsugu Ueno is head bartender at Bar High Five, Tokyo.
Ueno Hidetsugu judging the Diageo Reserve World Class final. Photo / Getty Images
Erik Lorincz
I've visited bars all around the world and met fantastic bartenders but the one I visit frequently when I'm back in England is the Connaught Bar, where I once worked. This place always meets my expectations and the person behind it has a unique energy.
When I go to a bar it's not just about the cocktails — it should be a full-package service. Sometimes I visit for a glass of Champagne or a beer but it's always perfectly served here with great attention to detail; even the glassware is specially made for the place. When I sit down and look around I always see a familiar face, and for me this is the most important component of a good bar; regulars are there for a reason: good service, a great atmosphere and of course, good quality drinks.
I learned a lot and worked with a passionate team when I was at the Connaught. I'll always remember it as the place where Agostino Perrone and I didn't "go to work". We just enjoyed what we could do for others when they came for a drink or two.
•Erik Lorincz, a former bartender at the Connaught Bar, is head bartender at the American Bar at the Savoy and a former Diageo World Class Champion.
Eric Lorincz (right) is a former Diageo World Class champion. Photo / Getty Images
Paul Mathew
In London, when I'm not at The Hide I love the Zetter Townhouse (49-50 St John's Square, London EC1V 4JJ) for its excellent and interesting drinks, as well as its quirky British feel. As they say, "it feels like the private residence of a most beloved, eccentric and indulgent great aunt". The place is a perfect introduction to London for bartender friends from overseas.
In Hong Kong, 001 (LG/F Shop G1 Welley Building, 97 Wellington Street) is a nicely done speakeasy — a good place to relax in a fast-paced city. I particularly like the entrance, off a market street, hidden among the cuts of pork belly, bubbling pots and fresh greenery.
In Bangkok, Hyde & Seek Gastrobar (65/1 Athenee Residence, Soi Ruamrudee, Wireless Rd, Lumpini, Pathumwan) isn't at all Thai, but it offers great food and an astonishingly long drinks list consisting of classics as well as their own quirky creations.
In Beijing, I love MaoMaoChong (12 Ban Chang Hutong, Dong Cheng, Beijing). There are some great bars in Beijing now, but this one isn't just another generic "international" bar — it's in a local hutong building and serves novel drinks using infusions of Chinese ingredients.
•Paul Mathew is a British bartender and drinks consultant based in Beijing. He owns The Hide bar in London.
Tim Philips
I'd be doing an injustice to the drinking culture in my own backyard if I didn't mention my homeland favourites. These include The Everleigh (1/150-156 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Melbourne), The Cornerhouse (281 Bondi Rd, Bondi, Sydney) and, of course, my own spot, Bulletin Place (10-14 Bulletin Place, Sydney). Now we have to just convince people to come to Australia ...
•Tim Philips is a former Australian Bartender of the Year and former World Class Bartender of the Year.
Tim Philips, left, shows his skills. Photo / Getty Images
Monica Berg
For the past few years my favourite bar has been Artesian at the Langham in London. This is the kind of place where I can take my mother for lunch, my father for a beer, my grandmother for a glass of champagne or my girlfriends for amazing cocktails.
I've had so many great moments in this bar and I still remember how impressed I was the first time I visited: not just by what is served but also by how it is served. Everything is so thought through — even the smallest details.
It's rare to find places like this, where the staff effortlessly make you feel like the centre of the universe and that's why I love going there.
•Monica Berg is bar manager at Ice Bar in Oslo.
Jack McGarry
Clover Club in Brooklyn is my favourite cocktail bar. It's the most consistent cocktail bar in New York City. Julie Reiner opened it in 2008 and I've yet to have a bad drink there. On top of that, it's a comfortable bar and there's no pretension with her programme; you could just as easily have a pint of beer and shot of whisky as a well-made mixed drink. The food there is also consistently good. So for me, Clover Club as a package represents the best bar in NYC. Just a pity it doesn't do Guinness ...
•Jack McGarry is head bartender at Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog, New York.
Marcis Dzelzainis
While travelling around Andalucia, I fell in love with La Bicicleta (Cardenal Gonzalez, 1, Cordoba, Spain), a tiny bar at the intersection of Calle Cardenal Gonzalez and Calle San Fernando.
The interior is stripped back, with exposed pipe work — it looks like the sort of trendy night spot you'd find in Dalston. It was the only place open at 2pm (everywhere else had closed for siesta). As they say only "mad dogs and Englishman go out in the midday sun", and I was in desperate need of a cold beer, so I ventured in. Not only did Pedro serve the best jamon Iberico I had during the whole trip but he also made me fall in love with gin and tonic again. They were made with great care, in a huge wine glass (as is common in Spain) with lots of big ice cubes and the tonic gently poured so as to not lose its effervescence. More generally, the bar stocked an impressive selection of spirits, many of which I had never seen before. It was simply great.
•Marcis Dzelzainis is operations manager at Bar Le Coq, Paris and 69 Colebrooke Row, London.
