What can a single ranking and a few days of shared events bring to the global bar scene? From 5 October, Milan is hosting The World’s 50 Best Bars programme, which brings together top bars, their teams and emerging cocktail destinations.
THE WORLD’S 50 BEST BARS 2026 IN MILAN
When: 5–8 October 2026; main ceremony on 7 October
Where: Milan, Italy; awards ceremony at Palazzo del Ghiaccio
Who: The international bar community and an academy of over 800 experts
What’s happening: Announcement of the rankings, industry meetings, bar visits, and a supporting programme
Official information: the50.com
Eight hundred experts, dozens of cities, hundreds of venues and one evening that can transform a bar’s international profile. The World’s 50 Best Bars is not just an annual battle for first place. It is also a platform where the people shaping the global cocktail scene come together, new professional relationships are forged, and destinations that until recently lay outside the mainstream spotlight are put on the map. On Monday 5 October, a multi-day programme begins in Milan, culminating in Wednesday’s announcement of this year’s ranking. What does this event really mean for bars, their teams and the cities in which they operate?
When people hear “The World’s 50 Best Bars”, most imagine a gala ceremony, a ranking of fifty venues and the question of which bar will be crowned the world’s best. For the bar industry itself, however, the event has a much broader significance. It brings together bartenders, bar owners, trade journalists, consultants and other professionals from all corners of the globe in a single city. Beyond the results, it creates space for people to meet, share experiences and build relationships that can continue long after the lights go out on stage. This year’s event will take place in Milan from 5 to 8 October, with the new rankings and the winner of the title “The World’s Best Bar 2026” announced on 7 October at the Palazzo del Ghiaccio. For a city whose everyday culture is shaped by the aperitivo, and whose bar scene builds on a tradition of vermouth and iconic cocktails, this is also an opportunity to present itself to an international audience within the broader context of gastronomy and hospitality. However, the programme does not end with the announcement itself: it also includes meetings between bar teams, social events, guest shifts at local venues and other activities that give the international community a reason to stay connected beyond the main ceremony.
The strength of the ranking lies not only in the order
The significance of the 50 Best lies, among other things, in the way the ranking is compiled. The result is not determined by an editorial team or the organiser’s commercial partners, but by The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises more than 800 experts from the drinks industry. The panel includes bartenders and bar owners, drinks journalists, consultants, educators and other experienced professionals. It is divided into 29 geographical regions, and the organisers report a balanced representation of women and men; at least a quarter of the members are replaced each year. Each voter selects eight bars based on their own experiences over the past 18 months; they must have visited the establishment in person and may not vote for a bar in which they have a financial interest. Voting is confidential, and its integrity is independently verified by Deloitte. However, there is no universal scoring system that awards points to all establishments based on the same criteria. The deciding factor is the voters’ experience, and their perspectives may differ depending on whether they value service, drink quality, atmosphere, creativity or the overall character of the visit above all else. This is precisely why it is advisable to view the ranking as an influential snapshot of part of the global bar scene, rather than as an absolute and definitive benchmark for all establishments worldwide.
Nevertheless, international recognition can have very tangible consequences. In an interview with VisitChef, Faye Huggett from The World’s 50 Best Bars pointed out that inclusion in the ranking can bring a venue greater media attention, new guests and a stronger standing within the global hospitality industry. A local venue can thus become a destination that people travel across borders to visit. However, publicity alone is no guarantee of long-term success. “Contacts can open doors for you, but reputation is what keeps them open,” says Huggett. In an environment where reputation is built with every shift and every interaction with a guest, international attention remains an opportunity that the establishment must sustain through its own efforts. At the same time, the impact of an award cannot automatically be expressed as a single figure: without specific data on visitor numbers, turnover or business growth, it is impossible to determine reliably what economic effect the ranking has had on each individual bar. Its influence must therefore be assessed not only through the rankings, but also through subsequent guest interest, media coverage, professional collaborations and other opportunities that open up for the venue.
From global metropolises to new cocktail destinations
Another significant shift is geographical diversity. Global cocktail culture is no longer associated solely with traditional hubs such as London and New York. Cities such as Mexico City, Bangkok and Buenos Aires are also coming to the forefront of international attention, along with venues that draw on local ingredients, traditions and cultural identity. Emma Sleight, Content Director at The World’s 50 Best Bars, described the current trend in an interview with VisitChef as a shift towards greater global diversity, sustainability and storytelling. According to her, bars can develop a strong identity by offering an experience closely linked to the place where they originated—one that cannot simply be replicated elsewhere. At the same time, the regions featured in the industry debate are also changing. Broadening geographical representation within the academy helps to capture developments in local scenes more accurately, although a region’s presence in the voting system does not automatically mean that its bars will make it into the main rankings.
This broadening of focus beyond established metropolises is also crucial for Central Europe. In an interview with VisitChef, Sleight described the Czech Republic and Slovakia as a region with potential, where a traditional heritage of ingredients and beverages meets a new generation of bartenders and modern mixology. She also mentioned the Slovak bars Mirror Bar and Antique American Bar, which made it onto the list, as well as the inclusion of Czech and Slovak establishments in the 50 Best Discovery database. This database extends its focus beyond the main rankings and can serve as a guide for guests seeking interesting bar experiences around the world. For smaller establishments, this is a reminder that the path to international recognition does not require imitating the world’s most famous venues. What may matter more is a clear, distinctive concept, high-quality service, the use of local ingredients, and the ability to offer an experience with a specific reason to exist in that particular location.
And this is precisely where we return to the significance of the Milan gathering. As Faye Huggett emphasised in her interview for VisitChef, the greatest value of such events often lies beyond the announcement itself: in conversations between people who previously knew each other only through professional circles or social media, in the sharing of experiences, and in connections that may later lead to guest shifts, mentoring or new collaborations. Such connections cannot be quantified in advance, and not every one of them will lead to a measurable business outcome. However, for an industry built on hospitality, creativity and personal contact, they represent vital infrastructure. The World’s 50 Best Bars will therefore not merely announce a ranking of venues in Milan. Above all, it will refocus attention on the people and places that together shape contemporary bar culture—and on how their work can reach new audiences through international connections.
