The bar that lets you pay what you want

The Mondhügel Bar in Berlin does things differently. Juliane Eva Reichert reports on a new pricing system that hands the control back to the customer.

Tippling club Singapore to close

Singapore’s Tippling Club will close its doors in the new year after nearly 17 years of operation.

Iain Griffiths opens new bar in New York’s East Village

Bartender Iain Griffiths, formerly of The Lyan Group, and Brooklyn-based bar owner Oliver Cleary have announced the launch of a new neighbourhood bar in New York’s East Village.

Kratena and Berg launch Tayēr Studios RTDs

Alex Kratena and Monica Berg have launched three new RTD cocktails under their Tayēr Studios range.

Nico de Soto’s world of flavour

There’s probably no one better than Nico de Soto to explain how cocktail tastes change market by market. You have to tailor your drinks to your audience, he says.

Mr Lyan introduces new range of cocktail seasonings

Founder of London-based drinks and hospitality group Mr Lyan, Ryan Chetiyawardana has launched a new range of cocktail seasonings inspired by the cultural and culinary history of Sri Lanka, Drinks International can exclusively reveal.

Cocktail culture: after the enlightenment

Mission complete – we have convinced the world of the credentials of the cocktail. But what does that mean for quality – and the standalone cocktail bar? François Monti reports.

Swift Soho introduces new menu

Swift Soho has launched its new menu ‘Backstage Heroes’, inspired by the behind-the-scenes world of theatre and the arts.

Eric van Beek on topping the World’s 50 Best Bars list

Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City has become the first bar in the country to top the World’s 50 Best Bars list. Shay Waterworth catches up with co-owner Eric van Beek.

Menu of the month: Handshake Speakeasy

Named The World’s Best Bar in this year's 50 Best, Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy is distinguished by its high-end cocktails and secret bar concept. 

Kathmandu: Nepal's emerging bar scene

Nicholas Coldicott tracks the journeys of Nepal’s enterprising bartenders as they put the city on the cocktail map.

BCB London reveals 2025 date and venue

BCB has announced the date and venue for its 2025 London debut as it brings the bar and beverage trade show to England’s capital for the first time.

The Ada Coleman Project partners with Athens Bar Show

The Ada Coleman Project has partnered with Athens Bar Show to bring a series of events led by 11 women from the global drinks industry.

Bar trade pays tribute to Chris Patino

The bar trade has paid tribute to drinks industry veteran Chris Patino who passed following a battle with cancer.

The road to B Corp

The Cambridge Public House became the first bar to receive B Corp status. Its co-founder Hyacinthe Lescoët takes us on the journey.

Madrid Edition set for A-list takeover series during 50 Best week

The Madrid Edition is set to host a series of events throughout the duration of The World’s 50 Best Bars celebrations this October.

Menu of the month: Tjoget

Stockholm’s neighbourhood bar Tjoget opened its doors in 2012 and has since been a regular feature on awards lists, most recently being named No. 93 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 51-100 list for 2023. 

Bar Les Ambassadeurs introduces autumn seasonal menu

Paris-based Bar Les Ambassadeurs at Hôtel de Crillon has launched its latest cocktail menu titled ‘A Sense of Taste, Autumn Harvest’.

Tito Pin-Perez and Álvaro García depart Rayo

Tito Pin-Perez and Álvaro García, the operational management team behind Mexico City’s Rayo, have announced their departure from the bar. 

Lyaness first to achieve three pins in Pinnacle Guide

The Pinnacle Guide has revealed the latest additions to its list of pinned bars, as it marks a milestone with the first-ever three Pin bar.

Caretaker's Cottage wins Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award 2024

Caretaker’s Cottage in Melbourne, Australia has won the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, as part of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.

Marcis Dzelzainis to launch Muse at RSA House

Muse, a new cocktail bar from the mind of Marcis Dzelzainis, will open its doors this November at RSA House in London, serving sustainable British cocktails in collaboration with Idyll Drinks.

Iain McPherson named Altos Bartenders’ Bartender ahead of 50 Best 2024

“To get on the 50 Best List is really hard, and to get an individual award is pretty mind blowing,” said Panda & Sons’ Iain McPherson on being named Altos Bartenders’ Bartender as part of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.

Silverleaf to launch texture-focused menu

Silverleaf at Pan Pacific London is to launch a new menu in October named Texture Is Everything.

Berlin’s Kink Bar introduces new menu

Kink Bar in Berlin has announced the launch of its latest cocktail menu, continuing its approach of offering each cocktail in both long and short form.

Industry veteran Karl Too passes

Asia’s bar industry has mourned the passing of veteran bar owner Karl Too on Wednesday 18 September.

The Bartender Knowledge Exchange makes its return to London Cocktail Week

As London Cocktail Week returns to the capital next month so too does the Bartender Knowledge Exchange a peer-to-peer educational programme that made its festival debut in 2023.

Canada’s Keegan McGregor wins Diageo World Class 2024

Canadian bartender, Keegan McGregor, has won the title of World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2024.

Fords Gin reveals new trade-focused cocktail bar and brand home

Fords Gin, the London Dry Gin created by Simon Ford and tenth generation master distiller Charles Maxwell, has announced the opening of its new bar and brand home.

Cocktail bars head west in Soho revival

London’s famously vibrant nightlife area has become even more so with a rash of recent openings. Oli Dodd drinks in the atmosphere.

Hospo concerns over UK smoking ban

The representative group for UK hospitality has criticised government plans to ban smoking from beer gardens, outside restaraunts, sports stadiums and outside hospitals.

Menu of the month: Dram

Dram was opened in November 2023 by Chris Tanner, Jack Wallis and Martyn ‘Simo’ Simpson, who had previously worked together at Soho whisky bar Milroy’s and later Silverleaf. 

Himkok introduces new menu

Oslo cocktail bar, Himkok, has unveiled its new menu Beats & Sips in collaboration with Sony Music Norway, to launch 26 September. 

The Cambridge Public House sees sales rise during Olympics

The Cambridge Public House in Paris saw a 30% increase in sales during the summer Olympic Games 2024.

Brujas launches new menu

Mexico City’s all-female cocktail bar Brujas has launched its 2024 menu in the form of a classic comic book.

Oriole set to open new site in Covent Garden

London bar Oriole will open its new permanent space in The Yards, Covent Garden on 28 August.

Seoul’s bar scene soars

South Korea’s capital is one of Asia’s fastest-developing bar scenes. Shay Waterworth caught up with Charles H head bartender Odd Strandbakken to find out why.

Stonegate secures debt refinancing package

The UK’s largest pub and bar owner, Stonegate Group has announced the agreement of a refinancing package to address its £2.2 billion debt.

Alquímico named World’s Best Bar at the 2024 Spirited Awards

Alquímico, the Cartagena bar founded by Jean Trinh, was named World’s Best Bar at the 18th annual Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.

Bar Leone’s Roman conquest

Shay Waterworth reports on the unprecedented success of the Hong Kong newcomer bar in topping the table of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

Menu of the month: Bar Leone

Lorenzo Antinori’s ‘cocktail popolari’ concept is dialled into nailing the classics. Simplicity, accessibility and balance are the focus for its Italian menu of classic cocktails. 

Rosewood London appoints new director of bars

Rosewood London has announced the appointment of Andy Loudon as its director of bars, returning to the UK after nearly two decades of experience within the international hospitality industry. 

Sub Astor: jungle to jigger

Sub Astor in São Paulo has garnered a reputation for using foraged ingredients. But it’s the biodiversity from which those ingredients come that offer the real excitement, says Shay Waterworth.

London Cocktail Week becomes not-for-profit

In its 15th year, London Cocktail Week has become a not-for-profit business following a successful soft launch of the initiative in 2023.

The Cambridge Public House becomes world’s first B Corp bar

The Cambridge Public House in Paris has become the world’s first bar to achieve B Corp certification.

Swift Borough introduces new menu

London’s Swift Borough has launched its new cocktail menu titled South of The River, showcasing 14 cocktails that explore underrated parts of South London.

Menu of the month: Biomes of Brazil by Sub Astor

For 15 years Sub Astor has been a popular spot in São Paolo. Over that time the bar has welcomed some of the industry’s biggest names to conduct guest shifts and its latest menu is the sixth edition of its Biomes of Brazil concept. 

The Dead Rabbit expands into Texas

The Dead Rabbit team and managing partner Jack McGarry are expanding the Irish pub out of Manhattan, New York and into Austin, Texas.

Markham wins No3 Unrivalled Classics UK final

Martha May Markham of Swift in London has won the UK final of the Unrivalled Classics cocktail competition by No.3 Gin.

Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston to leave Swift this summer

Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston, who co-founded Swift with Roisin Stimpson and Edmund Weil, are to leave the London bar group this summer.