How the World’s 50 Best Bars List Steers Investment and Tourism

The World’s 50 Best Bars will crown its 2026 champion in Milan on October 7, at Palazzo del Ghiaccio. But the impact of this single evening extends far beyond bartenders taking the stage: the list drives bar openings, guides investment decisions across hospitality groups, and reshapes which cities compete for cocktail tourism.

The extended 51-100 list, revealed on September 23, spanned 34 cities with 13 new entries. Among the newcomers are venues in Istanbul, Accra, San José and Shenzhen—cities outside traditional luxury hospitality centers. That geographic expansion signals a shift in how the ranking influences business decisions globally: venture capital, spirits brands and experienced hospitality operators now chase the emerging bar scenes the list legitimizes.

How independent voting creates industry credibility

The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy comprises over 800 drinks experts—bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists from around the world. The Academy maintains 50/50 gender balance and spans 29 international regions.

Each Academy member casts eight votes based on bars visited during the previous 18 months.

This structure grants credibility that no single critic could match. When a bar receives recognition from 800 peers—voted on by professionals who have actually visited it—spirits companies, property developers and hospitality investors treat the ranking as a reliable market signal. A bar appearing on the list is not an opinion; it is the documented consensus of international industry practitioners.

The World’s 50 Best Bars, by the numbers
The Academy comprises more than 800 drinks experts across 29 international regions, with 50/50 gender balance. The 2026 extended 51-100 list, revealed September 23, spans 34 cities with 13 new entries, ahead of the Milan ceremony on October 7.

Investment flows follow the rankings

The bar industry is growing.

Capital follows credibility, and the 50 Best list is the most credible signal in hospitality. Death & Co, a cocktail bar group, says it is scaling its four-location portfolio nearly twice as fast as the industry average, generating tens of millions in revenue with high profitability at each venue.

This growth reflects a broader pattern: recognition on the 50 Best list can generate international visibility, bring visitors willing to wait for tables or pay premium prices, and give owners and investors the confidence to commit capital. Private hospitality groups and venture-backed bar concepts increasingly view a 50 Best ranking as an asset that justifies renovation budgets, staff expansion and geographic scaling.

Secondary cities enter the global bar conversation

The 2026 extended list marks the first official recognition for entire countries in some cases. Bar Gabriel in Istanbul marks Türkiye’s debut on the 50 Best Bars’ 51-100 list. Bar 1661 in Dublin marks Ireland’s first appearance on the same list. The presence of venues from Accra, San José and Shenzhen reflects a fundamental market shift: travelers are no longer confined to London, New York and Tokyo when seeking recognized cocktail experiences.

Africa’s bar scene is expanding rapidly. The continent’s established nightlife hubs—Lagos, Marrakech and Cape Town—are now joined by emerging destinations including Accra, Addis Ababa and Luanda. The African Development Bank predicts Africa will remain ‘the second-fastest-growing region after Asia.’ Accra’s appearance on the 51-100 list marks West Africa’s first entry, signaling growing international recognition of the region’s bar industry. Hero Bar in Nairobi, recognized as Africa’s best bar and included on the Top 100 global list, transformed the city’s hospitality landscape. The bar owner noted that the city ‘didn’t have much of a cocktail scene’ before the venue launched. Since then, international travelers plan trips to Nairobi partly around its ranked bars.

Asia also gained new entries on the extended list. The 51-100 ranking features 16 bars from Asia, including four from Hong Kong, with newcomers such as Bangkok’s G.O.D, Shenzhen’s MO Bar Shenzhen, Hong Kong’s Mius, Singapore’s Offtrack and Goa’s Boilermaker. The bar industry is expanding beyond long-established metropolitan centers, driving interest in secondary cities across both Africa and Asia.

Capital follows credibility, and the 50 Best list is the most credible signal in hospitality, influencing where investors commit to expansion and which cities attract bartenders and tourism.

Spirits brands follow the list to new markets

Once bars from a city enter the 50 Best rankings, spirits companies adjust their investment decisions. For spirits brands, ranked cities become increasingly relevant for guest shifts—professional events where bartenders learn new techniques and promote products—bartender education, product launches and trade engagement. If multiple local bars begin appearing on international rankings, guest shifts become more frequent, spirits brands commit more resources and bar talent starts circulating through the city.

This dynamic is accelerating in Africa and Asia. Global investors are actively exploring African opportunities alongside international bartenders relocating to establish venues. Japanese mixologist Tetsuo Hasegawa exemplified this pattern, opening Anthm in Cape Town after recognizing ‘an explosion of investment and talent’ in the city. Dubai anchors Middle Eastern growth, with premium venues like Bitter Honey attracting global bartending talent and emphasizing sustainability practices. Urban expansion, rising disposable incomes and talent migration are fueling venue proliferation beyond hotel monopolies, with diversified venue types ranging from sophisticated lounges to speakeasies.

Milan itself illustrates this pattern. The city embodies aperitivo culture through neighborhoods like Brera and Navigli, where ‘a reverence for traditional vermouths and Campari is manifested via americanos, spritzes and garibaldis.’ Bar Basso in Milan is where the negroni sbagliato cocktail was accidentally created in the 1970s. The city’s selection as host for the 2026 ceremony reinforces Milan’s position as a hospitality destination and signals to brands that investment in the region’s bar education and events drives market influence.

How travelers plan trips around ranked bars

Cocktail tourism is expanding in unexpected destinations around the world. Travelers increasingly plan trips around ‘best of’ lists, with the World’s 50 Best Bars ranking directly influencing destination choices. Phoenix, Arizona attracts visitors to the Wright Bar at the Arizona Biltmore, which preserves drinking history from the 1930s when a bartender there created the original Tequila Sunrise. Fiji’s Sheraton resort opened a speakeasy to attract visitors seeking late-night venues with cocktails crafted from local ingredients.

These examples reflect a broader pattern: once a destination appears on the 50 Best list, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality venues benefit from the tourist traffic that ranked bars generate. The economic impact extends beyond the bar itself—hotels, restaurants, transport and other bars all benefit when travelers arrive to visit a recognized venue. Shenzhen, Accra, San José and Istanbul are now part of the same international bar conversation they were absent from just months earlier.

Non-alcoholic beverages are driving additional growth, with the IWSR projecting that the total non-alcohol market will be worth close to USD 5 billion by 2028. As ranked bars develop extensive non-alcoholic and low-alcohol menus, entire categories of hospitality—from hotels to restaurants to retail—see opportunities to participate in cocktail tourism. The effect multiplies across cities: once a bar ranks globally, entire neighborhoods become tourist destinations.

Photo: Superbass · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons