.jpg)
The unveiling of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023, sponsored by Perrier, was full of excitement and surprises, culminating in the announcement of two-year-old Barcelona bar Sips as this year’s new No.1. Journey into the unique cocktail temple alongside its founders Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez
Since its creation in 2009, The World’s 50 Best Bars ranking, sponsored by Perrier, has turned into the most prestigious event in the cocktail calendar, anointing a venue as The World’s Best Bar each year. Until 2022, no bar outside London or New York had ever earned the title, but then Paradiso made history and in the latest list – announced at an awards ceremony in Singapore – it’s another Barcelona-based bar that takes the No.1 spot, cementing the city’s status as a global cocktail capital.
Sips is an intimate, cutting-edge cocktail bar located in the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample district, which challenges many widely assumed notions of what a bar should be. Indeed, it doesn’t even have an actual bar for patrons to sit at: instead, a small but mighty team mixes cocktails from an island at the centre of the space, then interacts with customers at their own tables, resulting in a highly personal and theatrical experience.
Prepare to face the queues when visiting, because the bar doesn’t accept reservations – but if you’re willing to put in the time, you’ll be rewarded with a selection of cocktails unlike anything you could find at a regular neighbourhood haunt. The creators of Sips – Italian-Spanish duo Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez – apply modern flavour extraction techniques and plenty of imagination to their cocktails and work with local artisans to craft unique vessels for their creations, from a metal cast of two hands to an egg-like glass container featuring holes for different herbs.
Sips 'Drinkery House' was created by Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez
“We’re a small bar that opened in very uncertain times, but with a dream to prove that we could do something special,” says Caporale – whose CV includes working at Artesian in London, the venue that was named The World’s Best Bar four times – in an exclusive interview with 50 Best after the announcement. “This doesn’t feel real yet, it’s something that most bartenders think about and dream about."
Álvarez, who previously headed up mixology for Ferran and Albert Adrià’s revolutionary elBarri restaurant group in Spain, adds: “It’s just an incredible feeling. Thanks so much to everyone who made this dream happen. The most important talent [for a bartender] is to make every single customer who comes to the bar happy. Beyond that, there is no secret to our success.”
Sips only opened its doors as the pandemic was easing in Europe in mid-2021, and in December of the same year, it earned spot No.37 in the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars. Since then, its ascent has been unstoppable, resulting in a No.3 ranking in 2022 that turned into the No.1 status in 2023.
The menu at Sips features vibrant colours, seasonal ingredients and surprising elements
“When you put passion into the business and the community, things become magic,” continues Caporale. “Whatever you do, if it’s genuine, that really brings it forward. Just be yourself and be natural.” “And of course, work hard,” adds Álvarez.
True to their word, in a separate room inside Sips’ venue the duo also recently opened another bar, called Esencia, which offers a curated drinking experience pushing the boundaries of cocktails; while they convey their classic cocktail flair at one of Barcelona’s oldest bars, Boadas, which they took over in late 2022.
The top five of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023, sponsored by Perrier, also features New York’s gastronomy-inspired Double Chicken Please at No.2; Mexico City’s creative Handshake Speakeasy at No.3; Barcelona’s former No.1 Paradiso at No.4; and long-standing institution Connaught Bar in London at No.5.
The awards ceremony, held in Asia for the first time, also sees a host of special prizes bestowed, including two wins for Scandinavia as Himkok in Oslo wins the Nikka Highest Climber Award 2023 and Röda Huset in Stockholm receives the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award 2023. A venue in Scotland – The American Bar at Gleneagles – earns the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award, an accolade rewarding creativity, consistency and uniqueness in a drinks list. Click here for the full list of award winners.
The world’s leading bartenders gathered in Singapore for the awards ceremony
The newly-crowned No.1 bar in the world has a unique motto to “do high-couture cocktails at prêt-à-porter prices”, and with its new status, Sips is set to make a lasting impact on the bar scene, especially as more cocktail lovers plan their travel to Barcelona – which can now boast to have not one, but two of the bars named the very best in the world.
“Barcelona is a gastronomic city, so we have a responsibility to keep working for the people who are coming here to drink well and eat well,” says Álvarez. Caporale concludes: “Barcelona is not a new city and it’s not a metropolis, but globally, there are eyes on it and on its entire bar industry, and for us that is already a win. This city deserves the attention.”
Miss the ceremony? Catch up here:
The 15th edition of The World’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was announced on Tuesday, 17th October 2023 in Singapore. To stay up to date with the latest news and announcements, browse the website, follow us on Instagram, find us on Facebook, visit us on X and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
