Best Cocktail Bars | Pinnacle Guide Rankings 2024
- The Pinnacle Guide has revealed its latest selections for the world's best cocktail bars, ranging from edgy and casual to earthy and old-world establishments.
- The Pinnacle Guide, which recognizes excellence in the global bar scene, has expanded its reach to include France, Greece, Hong kong, Italy, and Switzerland, in addition to countries...
- "Its never an exhausted list," said hannah Sharman-Cox, one of the Pinnacle Guide founders.
The Pinnacle Guide has unveiled its latest selections for 2025, showcasing the world’s best cocktail bars, with a significant expansion to France, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, and switzerland. This expansion broadens the guide’s reach, already a premier resource for the global bar scene. The guide awards pins to bars based on anonymous in-person reviews, with establishments earning one to three pins reflecting excellence. Paris and parts of Italy are highlighted as global centers of acclaimed bar culture, with bar 1802, Little Red Door, and The Cambridge public House each earning two pins. Backdoor 43 in Milan, remarkably small, also made the list. News Directory 3 readers can explore the detailed rankings to discover the best cocktail experiences worldwide. Discover what’s next as the pinnacle Guide continues to evolve, recognizing exceptional cocktail bars across the globe.
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Pinnacle Guide Reveals Best Cocktail Bars Around the World
Updated June 22, 2025
The Pinnacle Guide has revealed its latest selections for the world’s best cocktail bars, ranging from edgy and casual to earthy and old-world establishments.
The Pinnacle Guide, which recognizes excellence in the global bar scene, has expanded its reach to include France, Greece, Hong kong, Italy, and Switzerland, in addition to countries already participating, such as the U.K., the U.S., Mexico, Dubai, Spain, and Australia.
“Its never an exhausted list,” said hannah Sharman-Cox, one of the Pinnacle Guide founders. “That’s kind of the point of this guide.It just evolves and grows. It will never be complete.”
Bar 1802, located in Paris, earned two pins from the Pinnacle Guide in 2025. (Bar 1802/The Pinnacle Guide / Fox News)
Sharman-Cox brings 25 years of experiance as a food and beverage industry expert to the Pinnacle Guide.
The guide employs a rigorous application process, including anonymous in-person reviews, to rank bars and award one, two, or three pins to excellent, outstanding, and exceptional cocktail bars, respectively.
The latest round of evaluations highlighted paris and parts of Italy and North America as global centers of acclaimed bar culture.
“What’s been realy nice in Paris is that the bar community in Paris is actually really small,” sharman-Cox said. “Actually, they’re all friends. It’s a very close-knit kind of community.”
Backdoor 43 is touted as the smallest bar in the world at only 13 square feet. (Backdoor 43/The Pinnacle Guide / Fox News)
Bar 1802, Little red Door, and The Cambridge Public House, all unique Parisian spaces, were recognized as “outstanding” and received two pins each.
Located inside the 4-star hotel Monte Cristo, Bar 1802 crafts its cocktail repertoire for six months at a time.
Little Red Door sources produce directly from France and has a “farm to glass” model.
The Cambridge Public House offers a relaxed atmosphere with a fluid menu of cocktail creations and serves customary French pub food, including meat pie and sausage rolls.
Paris’ Candelaria, offering a bold menu of agave-specific beverages, and Le Mary Celeste, a trendy neighborhood hotspot, each received one pin.
Kioku Sake Bar in London is located in the Old War Building and earned two pins from the Pinnacle Guide in 2025. (Kioku Sake Bar/The Pinnacle Guide / Fox News)
Six newly accredited cocktail bars in Italy include Cinquanta Spirito Italiano in Pagani, Sentaku Izakaya in Bologna, and Moebius, Dry Milano, Backdoor 43, and Ceresio 7 in Milan.
“I just got back from Italy and hand-delivered some of the plaques,” Sharman-Cox said.
Backdoor 43, a bar the size of a small walk-in closet, is fitted for one mixologist.
What’s next
The Pinnacle Guide will continue to evolve,adding new regions and recognizing exceptional cocktail bars around the world.