Inspired by the Michelin Guide in the world of restaurants, the new guide will look to award its first ‘Pins’ in 2023, operating in eight key markets (provisionally planned to be the UK, US, France, Italy, Singapore, Australia, Spain and Mexico), before rolling out to 50 markets in 2025.

Before launch, the The Pinnacle Guide begins with a “six-month consultancy phase”, with the global drinks trade invited to shape the way bars are measured and rewarded.

Sharman-Cox and Payne said: “We have been working behind the scenes on actualising The Pinnacle Guide for many years. We truly believe that the creation of such a system will help advance the interests of the bar industry and bring luxury drinking experiences to a wider consumer audience.

“We have been championing and promoting hospitality to the general public for well over a decade and believe we can continue this work on an even bigger scale.

“We approached Dan Dove to collaborate with us on The Pinnacle Guide a few years ago. We have been friends and colleagues for many years on many different projects but through his most recent work - Global Bartending - he will provide a solid foundation and infrastructure - ensuring this project is a real success for the whole bar community.”

The Pinnacle Guide will have no limit on the number of bars that can receive one, two or three Pins and will "reward excellence" based on “factual, impartial information”. Bars will be graded by anonymous, local reviewers, within a clear set of published parameters, that once finalised through the consultancy phase, will be used across the globe.

The consultancy phase will see a series of fortnightly open forums and panel discussions to finalise the format, alongside one-on-one video calls.

Dove said of the consultancy phase: “What has become abundantly clear as we’ve brought this project to life is the importance of conceptualising a system that is both fair and relevant across all territories and all styles of bars - which gives real opportunity to venues outside of capital cities.

“This is why the six-month consultancy phase is vital. Creating The Pinnacle Guide is a unique opportunity - one which we all take extremely seriously and one we hope the entire industry feels united by and inspired to be part of.”