shane eaton 7/23/25 shane eaton 7/23/25

Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025

Italy maintains its prominent position in the global bartending scene, with Lorenzo Antinori’s Bar Leone in Hong Kong securing the top spot at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025, announced last evening at the Wynn Palace in Macau. Owned and operated by Antinori—whose past roles include Argo Hong Kong and Dandelyan (crowned World’s Best Bar in 2018)—Bar Leone is renowned for its ‘cocktail popolari.’ The menu showcases a thoughtfully curated selection of classic cocktails with subtle, intriguing twists, all while embracing its identity as a neighborhood bar. Drawing inspiration from Rome’s Trastevere district, where Antinori grew up, the bar’s wood-paneled walls are decorated with football memorabilia and vintage Italian posters, creating a nostalgic ambiance. Emphasizing simplicity and consistency, Bar Leone’s offerings include drinks like the Filthy Martini—made with smoked olive brine—and their signature mortadella focaccia. The bar also made an impressive debut on The World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2024, achieving the No.2 spot.

Securing the second position is Zest in Seoul, a bar renowned for its sustainability efforts, which maintains its position from 2024 as The Best Bar in Korea, sponsored by Tia Maria, for the third consecutive year. Singapore’s Jigger & Pony, a neighborhood hotel bar, remains in third place, earning the title of The Best Bar in Singapore, sponsored by Torres Brandy, for six straight years. The 2025 list includes bars from 20 cities across Asia, with an exciting 20 new entries. Bangkok has overtaken Singapore as Asia’s cocktail capital, boasting seven bars on the list, led by Bar Us at No.4, named The Best Bar in Thailand, sponsored by Amaro Lucano.

Italian bartenders continue to be well-represented, including Saverio Casella, Principal Bartender at No.3 Jigger & Pony Singapore; Federico Balzarini, Beverage Manager at No.11 Argo Hong Kong; Silvio Daniele, General Manager of No.38 Cosmo Pony Jakarta; Matteo Cadeddu, Bar Manager of No.43 Opium Bangkok; and Marco Dongi of No.48 Bar Sathorn Bangkok.

In addition to the ranking, the ceremony also celebrated venues such as Hanoi’s Workshop14 with the Campari One to Watch award and Kathmandu’s Barc with the Michter’s Art of Hospitality award. Bartenders receiving individual awards included Jay Khan from Coa Hong Kong who was honoured with the Roku Industry Icon Award while Andrew Ho from Guangzhou’s Hope & Sesame won the Altos Bartender’s Bartender award.

Emma Sleight, Head of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Bars, commented: “Asia’s bars are consistently redefining cocktail excellence through talent and creativity. With 20 new entries—the most in recent years—this list reflects the innovative spirit of Asia’s bartending scene, offering unforgettable drink experiences for enthusiasts. Congratulations to Lorenzo Antinori and the team at Bar Leone on retaining the No.1 position, and for delivering a consistently outstanding hospitality experience that brings a touch of Rome to Hong Kong.”

Asia will continue to be at the forefront when the next World’s 50 Best Bars are announced in Hong Kong on October 8, 2025.

Italian version of article available on Bargiornale.

Saverio Casella (Jigger and Pony Singapore), one of the several Italians at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025

Michter’s Art of Hospitality winners Barc of Kathmandu

1-50 List:

Position Bar City/Town

1 Bar Leone Hong Kong

2 Zest Seoul

3 Jigger & Pony Singapore

4 Bar Us Bangkok

5 Dry Wave Cocktail Studio Bangkok

6 Bar Cham Seoul

7 Hope & Sesame Guangzhou

8 Lair New Delhi

9 Bar Benfiddich Tokyo

10 Penrose Kuala Lumpur

11 Argo Hong Kong

12 Modernhaus Jakarta

13 Alice Seoul

14 Smoke & Bitters Hiriketiya

15 Three X Co Kuala Lumpur

16 CMYK Changsha

17 Coa Hong Kong

18 Virtù Tokyo

19 BKK Social Club Bangkok

20 Vender Taichung

21 MO Bar Shenzhen Shenzhen

22 The St. Regis Bar Jakarta

23 Offtrack Singapore

24 Nutmeg & Clove Singapore

25 Yakoboku Kumamoto

26 G.O.D Bangkok

27 Penicillin Hong Kong

28 Soka Bengaluru

29 Vesper Bangkok

30 Boilermaker Goa

31 ZLB23 Bengaluru

32 The Savory Project Hong Kong

33 Gokan Hong Kong

34 Carrots Bar Jakarta

35 Barc Kathmandu

36 Punch Room Tokyo Tokyo

37 Bar Spirit Forward Bengaluru

38 Cosmo Pony Jakarta

39 Bar Trigona Kuala Lumpur

40 The Public House Taipei

41 To Infinity & Beyond Taipei

42 Moonrock Tainan

43 Opium Bangkok

44 Cat Bite Club Singapore

45 Native Singapore

46 Lamp Bar Nara

47 Reka Kuala Lumpur

48 Bar Sathorn Bangkok

49 Bar Libre Tokyo

50 Le Chamber Seoul

shane eaton 7/22/25 shane eaton 7/22/25

Igiea Terrazza Bar Palermo

A Toast to Sicilian Influence: The New 'Sicily Around the World' Cocktail Experience

Igiea Terrazza Bar is nestled within the historic Art Nouveau Villa Igiea in Palermo, where the ambiance reflects the island’s rich and storied past. The bar’s timeless architecture and sweeping views of the Gulf of Palermo create the perfect setting for a sensory journey inspired by the recently launched Sicily around the World — a cocktail menu featuring ten signature creations that blend international influences with Sicilian heritage.

This new menu was crafted by Salvatore Calabrese, Nicola Loiacono, and the talented team at Igiea Terrazza Bar as a tribute to the cultural legacy of Sicilian expatriates who carried the island’s spirit across the globe. The essence of Sicily has long shaped both the culinary and cultural landscapes of countries around the world — from the UK and the United States to Japan, Argentina, Tunisia, and Brazil.

For example, the cocktail Perpetuum presents a marriage between the UK and Sicily, with the alcoholic base provided by Benriach The Twenty One Scotch Whisky and the Marsala Florio Aegusa 2001 produced by the noble Florio family, founders of Villa Igiea. Together with Campari Cask Tales and bergamot spray, Perpetuum is a robust and smoky drink with rich fruity notes and a bitter, aromatic finish.

Sicilians have explored much of the world but even outer space. Stella di Luca celebrates Luca Parmitano, the first Italian to walk in space and command the International Space Station. This creamy and nutty concoction features bourbon, Frangelico, almond and pistachio milk, activated carbon, egg white, glitter powder and white truffle caviar.

A highlight of the menu is the Tiger Rag cocktail, a tribute to Sicilian-American musician Nick LaRocca, whose work left a lasting mark on American culture—particularly during the Prohibition era. LaRocca, who inherited his musical passion from his father, fused Sicilian musical roots with the emerging jazz scene of New Orleans. In 1917, he composed "Tiger Rag," now recognized as one of the most iconic jazz pieces in history and a staple in the speakeasies of that time. The Tiger Rag cocktail reflects this rich heritage with a bold blend of bourbon, Amaro Averna Riserva Tributo Siciliano, Vermouth del Professore Rosso, and a touch of jasmine essence. The ingredients are prebatched and aged for two months in an oak barrel, developing depth and complexity. To serve, 100 ml of the aged mixture is poured into a mixing glass, stirred, and then strained into a Nick & Nora glass. A smoke garnish, delivered via a Flavour Blaster, evokes the hazy ambiance of 1920s speakeasies—an atmospheric finishing touch to this storied drink.

Open daily, Igiea Terrazza Bar provides the perfect setting to unwind with an aperitivo while taking in panoramic views of the Gulf of Palermo. After raising a glass to Sicilian excellence with the signature Sicily in the World cocktails, guests can continue their evening at Villa Igiea with a memorable dining experience at the acclaimed Florio Restaurant, curated by Chef Fulvio Pierangelini.

Il lusso di bere Sicilia: l’esperienza cocktail “Sicily Around the World’ a Villa Igiea

Nel cuore di Palermo, incastonata tra le suggestioni Liberty di Villa Igiea e le vedute mozzafiato sul Golfo, nasce una nuova esperienza sensoriale che fonde sapientemente memoria, mixology e spirito internazionale. Si chiama Sicily Around the World la nuova drink list firmata Igiea Terrazza Bar: dieci cocktail iconici, creati per raccontare — sorso dopo sorso — l’influenza globale della cultura siciliana.

Il concept nasce dalla mente creativa di Salvatore Calabrese, figura leggendaria nel mondo della mixology, in collaborazione con Nicola Loiacono e il team dell’Igiea Terrazza Bar. L’idea è tanto ambiziosa quanto evocativa: rendere omaggio agli emigrati siciliani che hanno portato con sé i sapori, i profumi e l’identità dell’isola, contribuendo a plasmare la scena culturale e gastronomica di Paesi lontani come Regno Unito, Stati Uniti, Giappone, Argentina, Tunisia e Brasile.

Tra le creazioni più rappresentative spicca Perpetuum, un ponte ideale tra la Scozia e la Sicilia. Al palato, l’intensità del Benriach The Twenty One Scotch Whisky si fonde con la profondità del Marsala Florio Aegusa 2001, etichetta di pregio della storica famiglia Florio, fondatrice di Villa Igiea. A completare l’opera, Campari Cask Tales, uno spray di bergamotto e una struttura aromatica affumicata, complessa, vibrante.

Ma lo sguardo siciliano si spinge oltre ogni confine — persino spaziale. L’innovativo “Stella di Luca” rende omaggio all’astronauta Luca Parmitano, primo italiano a passeggiare nello spazio e a guidare la Stazione Spaziale Internazionale. Il cocktail è un viaggio interstellare tra sapori morbidi e decisi: bourbon, Frangelico, latte di mandorla e pistacchio, carbone attivo, albume, polvere glitterata e caviale al tartufo bianco. Una celebrazione dell’audacia e dell’ingegno italiani.

Imperdibile anche “Tiger Rag”, tributo a Nick LaRocca, musicista italoamericano originario della Sicilia, pioniere del jazz neworleansiano e autore nel 1917 dell’omonimo brano, oggi considerato uno dei capisaldi del genere. Il drink, intenso e strutturato, unisce bourbon, Amaro Averna Riserva Tributo Siciliano, Vermouth del Professore Rosso e un tocco di essenza di gelsomino. Dopo due mesi di affinamento in botte di rovere, viene servito in un bicchiere Nick & Nora accompagnato da una nuvola di fumo, generata sul momento con un Flavour Blaster — un raffinato tributo all’atmosfera clandestina e audace degli speakeasy dell’era del Proibizionismo.

Aperto ogni giorno, l’Igiea Terrazza Bar è più di una cocktail lounge: è un luogo dell’anima, dove il tempo si ferma e i sapori raccontano storie. E per chi desidera proseguire il viaggio sensoriale, la serata può continuare presso il rinomato Ristorante Florio, dimora culinaria dello chef Fulvio Pierangelini, dove l’eleganza dell’alta cucina si fonde con l’essenza autentica della tradizione siciliana.