The awards will be held in New York City on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 and Mark Sansom, content editor for 50 Best, is confident the new list will become a key part of the global bar industry.

“The bar scene and extensive talent across this region set the tone for the rest of the world, and we are confident that this new list will be a vital addition to the international bar landscape as bar-goers plan their next cocktail-led adventures,” said Sansom. 

“We are especially delighted to bring our inaugural North America’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony to the city of New York, a vibrant cocktail heartland that has long established itself as a ubiquitous force in the bar universe, having provided The World’s Best Bar in our global list on three occasions.” 

The inaugural North America’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony and unveiling of the list provides a unique opportunity to unite bartenders, bar owners, cocktail aficionados and drinks media from all over the region at a captivating celebration, shining a light on the best in hospitality, while also promoting the strength and diversity of the region’s bar scene as a whole to a global audience. 

The awards ceremony brings together the best bartending talent from the region, with a live countdown of the list, culminating in the first-ever announcement of North America’s Best Bar, sponsored by Perrier, a highly coveted and much-anticipated accolade. 

The live awards ceremony on June 7 will be preceded by a number of special award announcements in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, and a number of unique award announcements for both individuals and establishments will also take place on the evening itself.

The countdown of the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars and the awards ceremony will also be broadcast to a global audience who are not able to attend in person, and bar and cocktail lovers will be invited to join through The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV channel on YouTube. 

How the Voting Works

The inaugural ranking for North America’s 50 Best Bars will reflect the best bar experiences based on the votes of more than 250 gender-balanced voters, made up of anonymous North American bar industry experts (including bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and well-traveled cocktail connoisseurs) from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. 

Members of the 50 Best organisation do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that bars cannot apply to be on the list and no sponsors have any influence on the list. 

The Academy is divided into seven regions: USA Northeast; USA Midwest; USA West; USA South; Canada East; Canada West; Mexico; and the Caribbean.