SINGAPORE, 29 APRIL – Singapore’s ever-changing cocktail scene has never been better thanks to its diversity, excellence and innovation, a fact reinforced by the 7th edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, held in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday evening. Since its very first edition in 2016, an average of 10 Singapore bars appear on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list each year – which is no easy feat.
That’s in no small part thanks to the strength of the Singapore bar community. Despite the many difficulties the food and beverage industry has confronted during the pandemic, the Singapore bar community has been resilient, innovating, embracing new technologies, and facing these challenges together. Now, the easing of Covid-19 measures has sparked optimism and a sense of revival across the city.
To celebrate, 28 HongKong Street invited industry friends to watch the live stream reveal of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022 on 28 April, Thursday. The crowd cheered as Head Bartender, Elliot Pascoe, and Floor Manager, Nalini (Lin) Balasundaram called in live from the award ceremony at Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, alongside some of the brightest stars of the region.
“After two years of virtual screening, it feels just like old times when we were all together – determined to prove what we could do. It is moving how resilient our industry has been, in order to make this happen, but we never gave up hope that we would make it back stronger than ever, ” says Lin.
It was an emotional reunion which saw bartenders, bar owners and close friends reconnecting in anticipation and elation at what unfolded onscreen, with Singapore bars claiming 11 spots on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. With special awards such as The Roku Industry Icon awarded to Nutmeg & Clove’s Colin Chia and MO Bar achieving the Nikka Highest Climber award after jumping 28 places over last year, Singapore’s bar scene has never been better.
28 HongKong Street landed at #49 on this year’s list, making it the sixth consecutive year that the bar has made a showing on the list, a reflection of how despite celebrating its 10th birthday last year, the bar continues to shape Singapore’s drinks culture and further grow its reputation as a global institution of fine drinking.
“The 28 team set out with the goal to bring something that was missing in Singapore – an institute dedicated entirely to fine drinking and education. And now, here we are today – still maintaining a position among many other fine contenders,” says Peart, “Everyone who comes through our doors is important to us, and we would like to thank you for all the support and love given to us.”
The night was about acknowledging the hard work our bar community has done to help make this industry what it is today and celebrating its achievements this year. A special mention goes out to Jigger & Pony, Singapore and COA, Hong Kong who were judged Asia’s Best Bar 2022 #2 and #1 respectively for the second consecutive year – breaking records with their outstanding performance and hospitality. From the 28 HongKong Street team, congratulations once again to all the winners who made it onto Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022.
About Asia’s 50 Best Bars
Asia’s 50 Best Bars is the first regional event of The World’s 50 Best Bars brand, created in 2016 with the purpose of showcasing the best and most innovative talent in the drinks industry in this region. The annual ranking is based on the votes of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy, comprising the most knowledgeable and travelled members of the bar industry, drinks media and mixology experts from across Asia. Asia’s 50 Best Bar is owned and organised by William Reed, the group behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and its regional offshots.
Learn more by visiting their website at https://www.worlds50bestbars.com/
About 28 HongKong Street
Hidden behind an unassuming 1960’s shophouse façade, 28HKS is a word-of-mouth venue for people who might appreciate the kind of venue that we enjoy ourselves: relaxing at the beginning, growing a tad louder as the night goes on. The drinks focus’ is on artisanal spirits and American-style craft cocktails. The food is gussied up American comfort food made from scratch for sharing.
You can visit the venue from 6:00 pm to 12:00 am, Monday to Thursday, and 6:00 pm to 2:00 am, Friday to Saturday. You can follow the journey on Instagram.