Asia

The World's #1 Bar 2025 — first Asian bar to claim the title. Italian minimalism, exceptional Martinis, and a soulful commitment to hospitality that makes every visit unforgettable. Reservations essential.

Named for Hemingway's novella, each cocktail tells a story from the author's life — a Death in the Afternoon, a Havana special. Multiple World's 50 Best rankings. One of Asia's most beloved bars.

Hidden behind a vintage umbrella shop in the CBD — push through to a 1960s gentleman's club of extraordinary beauty. Single malts, custom cocktails, and a sense of stepping into another era.

Atop the Murray Hotel with panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline. Sunset cocktail hour here is one of the great rituals of this city — the light off the harbour is incomparable.

Hiroyasu Kayama grows his own herbs and botanicals on his rooftop farm and distills his own bitters. A tiny, extraordinary bar in Shinjuku. World's 50 Best. The most personal drinking experience in Tokyo.

Shingo Gokan's Shibuya masterpiece — Guzzle downstairs for craft beer and snacks, Sip upstairs for serious cocktails and Japanese whisky. Multiple World's 50 Best appearances. A Shibuya landmark.

Tiny, dimly lit, and stocked with over 300 Japanese whiskies — including bottles unavailable anywhere else on earth. Whisky pilgrimages to Japan are incomplete without spending an evening here with owner Atsushi Horigami.

Four floors and a massive mirror ball in Shibuya — Tokyo's premier electronic music venue with a world-class sound system and a consistent international lineup. The unofficial HQ of Tokyo's club scene since 2000.

Singapore's crown jewel and consistent top-6 global ranking. Vibrant, joyful, and technically impeccable — Aurelius Dhanendran's team creates tropical-inspired cocktails that are as fun to drink as they are to look at.

World's 50 Best Bars — a sophisticated drinking den in Singapore's CBD with a menu built around Asian ingredients and unexpected spirits. The name is whimsical; the drinks are deadly serious.

On the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands — the world's most photographed rooftop bar with an infinity pool edge and unobstructed views of Singapore's skyline. A sunset here is a bucket-list experience.

One of Asia's oldest and most respected clubs, born in 1991 and still setting the standard 30+ years later. Multiple rooms — Zouk, Phuture, Capital — each with its own personality. Carl Cox plays here. It matters.

World's 50 Best Bars — an extraordinary celebration of Thai identity through cocktails. Local herbs, jungle ingredients, traditional spirit categories — all reimagined with global technique and real imagination.

The Hangover Part II made it famous — but the Lebua Sky Bar earns its reputation every night. On the 63rd floor with a 360° panorama of Bangkok, the Hangovertini here is one of life's unmissable drinks.

Below Novotel Silom — a 1930s Shanghai-inspired underground lair with velvet curtains, bronze detailing, burlesque performances, and some of Bangkok's most theatrical cocktails. Worth every baht of the taxi ride.

World's 50 Best Bars — a sleek, modern bar in the CBD with a seasonal menu driven by Thai ingredients and European technique. Named for the Bond cocktail. Consistently one of Asia's finest.

DJ Magazine's perennial top-10 club globally — a massive Gangnam venue with state-of-the-art sound and lighting that rivals anything in Ibiza or Berlin. Korean EDM culture at its absolute peak.

Hidden behind a wardrobe in Itaewon — Seoul's most celebrated speakeasy. Korean tea traditions meet cocktail craft in a series of tasting experiences that can last four hours. Reservations taken months in advance.

Leading Seoul's craft cocktail revolution — Zest's menu incorporates Korean doenjang, gochujang, and traditional ferments into cocktails that make absolute sense only when you taste them. Modern Korea in a glass.

Officially the world's largest beach club — sprawling across Berawa Beach with a 30m pool, sunset DJ sets, and an international lineup that has included Tiësto, Martin Garrix, and David Guetta. Unforgettable.

A design masterpiece — built from salvaged teak window shutters, Potato Head is Seminyak's most architecturally stunning venue. Coconut cocktails, a spectacular pool, and sunset DJ sets that make every worry vanish.

When the outdoor parties end, Mirror begins. Canggu's most theatrical indoor club — a cavernous space with a ceiling of 3,000 mirrors, state-of-the-art sound, and house music until 6am. Bali's best secret for serious clubbers.

Named for the French actress and her famous bikini. Vinyl records, 1970s decor, and some of the most creative cocktails in India — served by bartenders who genuinely love what they do. Bandra's finest.

On the 34th floor of the Four Seasons Worli with a 360° panorama of Mumbai — the city's skyline, Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and the Arabian Sea. One of India's most spectacular drinking experiences.

A live market-style bar where drink prices rise and fall based on demand — screens display real-time prices across the city. Order when the market dips. One of Mumbai's most entertaining and innovative concepts.

Please Call Our Office — Delhi's most iconic speakeasy in Defence Colony. No sign, no menu on the door, just a password and one of India's finest bar programmes inside. Every drink is a conversation starter; every visit feels like a privilege.

Perched above a 14th-century reservoir in Hauz Khas Village, this multi-level bar is one of Delhi's most photographed venues. Craft cocktails with Indian ingredients, an eclectic crowd, and a terrace view that rivals anything in Asia.

An Art Deco-inspired cocktail bar in the heart of Connaught Place — Delhi's colonial centrepiece. Expert bartenders, an ambitious Indian spirits programme, and an atmosphere that balances grandeur with genuine warmth. One of the capital's best.

Delhi's finest live jazz venue — intimate, dim, and filled nightly with India's best jazz musicians. The cocktail list draws on Indian herbs and spirits. If you want to understand why Delhi's bar scene has a soul, start here.

The bar that put Bangalore — and Indian botanical cocktails — on the world map. Seasonal menus built around wild-foraged Indian ingredients, house-made ferments, and a philosophy that every drink should tell a story about the subcontinent. Multiple national awards. Essential.

Perched atop the Ivory Tower Hotel, Bangalore's original rooftop bar offers a sweeping view across the Garden City's skyline. Classic cocktails and a sunset that turns the entire city amber — a ritual for anyone who lives here, and unmissable for everyone who visits.

One of India's earliest craft brewery pioneers — American-owned, Bangalore-born. The IPAs, stouts, and wheat beers coming out of this Indiranagar brewpub helped launch an entire generation of Indian craft beer lovers. Still setting the standard a decade on.

A love letter to South India — the cocktail list draws on curry leaf, tamarind, kokum, and nannari with the same confidence that the kitchen brings to its dosas and filter coffee. Indiranagar's most talked-about bar; a blueprint for what Indian-identity drinking looks like done right.

Asia's former #1 bar — a bar equipment shop that hides a speakeasy on the second floor, and a secret ultra-intimate bar on the third. Shingo Gokan's Shanghai masterpiece. Multiple World's 50 Best appearances. Essential.

A relic of 1980s Japan transplanted to Shanghai — a meticulously maintained classic bar with a staggering whisky collection and a bartender-to-guest ratio that ensures every drink receives unhurried attention.

Shanghai's pre-eminent electronic music venue — a converted warehouse with an extraordinary sound system, genuinely cutting-edge bookings, and a crowd that takes music seriously. The Berlin of the East on its best nights.