Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2022 revealed

Another day, another top 50 rankings list with the North placing highly. Dry January is officially over and what could be a more fitting way to put it to rest than the announcement of this year’s Top 50 Cocktail bars? Fresh on the tail of the Top 50 Gastropubs and the same week as our very own Hot 50.

This year’s list features 10 bars from the North (up from nine in 2021), with Manchester’s Speak in Code the highest ranked. London dominated half of the list with a further three in the west, two in the Midlands, three in the south and five in Scotland.

We are thrilled to have so many new entries to the list this year, during what has been a particularly hard time for the hospitality industry

The Top 50 Cocktail Bars, now in its fourth year, is voted for by hundreds of experts, bar owners, bartenders and drinks writers from across the country. The list, along with other Top 50 lists for gastropubs and boutique hotels are owned and produced by The Morning Advertiser, an outlet of the business publisher William Reed.

Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds in the mix

Leading the charge in what was a London-heavy list, was Manchester’s Speak in Code (10) with Confidentials fave Schofield’s Bar (16) also placing within the top 20. Four Leeds cocktail bars, Jake’s Bar and Still Room (24), Roland’s Bar (32), Below Stairs (39) and Hedonist (42) also placed whilst Liverpool’s Berry & Rye (28) and Present Company (43) flew the flag for Liverpool.

Sheffield’s Public (41) and Newcastle’s Mother Mercy (49) completed a strong northern showing.

Cardiff’s Lab 22 bar topped the list, rising an impressive 32 places up from the previous year, whilst the rest of the top five was made up London bars Swift (2), The Connaught (3), Tayēr + Elementary (4) and Satan’s Whiskers (5). How The Connaught Bar, the previously crowned best cocktail bar in the world 2021, came in third is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Also celebrated at this year’s awards was Manchester’s Three Little Words. The bar took home an award for Bar Team of the Year at the ceremony which took place at One Night Records in London.

New year, new list

The 2022 Top 50 best cocktail bars list has seen nationwide changes since its previous iteration.

Not a single Manchester bar featured on last year’s list with Vice & Virtue (9), Jake’s Bar (15) and Below The Stairs (39) in Leeds, Evil Eye (20) in York, Jalou (31) in Newcastle, The Nuthatch (36) in Middlesbrough, Berry & Rye (37) and Red Door (48) in Liverpool and Sheffield’s Public (42) the bars flying the flag for the North in 2021.

Top 50 Cocktail Bars publisher Chris Lowe said: “The Top 50 Cocktail Bars list shines a light on the very best in the UK. We are thrilled to have so many new entries to the list this year, during what has been a particularly hard time for the hospitality industry.”  

Simon Thompson, Owner of Present Company in Liverpool said:

“I’m thrilled about it. We opened only a few months before the pandemic hit so it’s been an incredibly tough couple of years. To be named among so many great venues that I love and admire is a great acknowledgement that we’ve been doing something right during the industry’s hardest times.” “Above all else, I’m chuffed for the team. There’s such a dedicated bunch working here that I’m over the moon that they’re being acknowledged for the work they do serving guests day in, day out.”

A big congratulations to everyone that placed in this year’s list and those who scooped an award. Cheers to the North.