India’s 30 Best Bars 2019

The list of 30 best bars India 2019 was unveiled on23^rd October, well-attended awards show at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity in the nation's capital. 30 Best Bars India 2019 ranking is based on a nationwide poll of more than 200 bar enthusiasts and industry experts. It is envisioned as an independent annual bar ranking, backed by a strong intention to give Indian talent global recognition. It is a platform to recognize & raise the standards of bars and beverage service in India. It aims to provide Indian bars and bartending talent an opportunity to gain prominence in the international markets and also help promote bartending as a serious profession across the country.

New Delhi’s Sidecar emerged as India's Best Bar, followed by The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai), Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy (Gurgaon), Comorin (Gurgaon) and House of Nomad - Taj Land’s End (Mumbai). Aer - Four Seasons (Mumbai), Byg Brewski Brewing Company (Bangalore) , O Pedro (Mumbai), PCO (New Delhi), The Hong Kong Club- Andaz Delhi (New Delhi) round up the Top 10 list.

New Delhi NCR dominates the citywise 30 Best Bar 2019 ranking with 10 bars, followed by  Mumbai with 9 bars, 8 from Bangalore and 3 from Kolkata. In the awards category, House of Nomad, Taj Lands End (Mumbai) won Best Bar Design Award; The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai) and Byg Brewski Company (Bangalore) jointly won the Best Bar Team Award; Varun Sudhakar ofThe Runway Project by PizzaExpress (Mumbai) was declared the Best Bartender; Toit (Bangalore) won the Best Microbrewery / Taproom Award; Aer, Four Seasons (Mumbai) won the Best Hotel Bar Award.

Sidecar (New Delhi) won the Best Cocktail Menu Award, Best Independent Bar Award in addition to Best Bar Award. Shatbhi Basu was the winner of the inaugural Industry Legend Award, and Harbour Bar, The Taj Mahal Palace (Mumbai) won the Best Vintage Bar Award.

Public favorites were Refinery 091 (Kolkata) and Byg Brewski Company (Bangalore) which won the People’s Choice Best Bar Award, and People's Choice Best Microbrewery/ Taproom Award respectively. These awards were based on an open online poll for the public.

Mr. Vikram Achanta, Co-founder and CEO, Tulleeho says, “This has been a very interesting journey for us. We started with a master list of 450 deserving bars across more than 12 cities in the country to arrive at our list of 30 Best Bars. This attests to the fast growing nature of the bar scene in the country. Some of the winners will easily measure up to the best in Asia.”

Releasing the ranking of India’s 30 best bars Mr. Radhakrishnan Nair, Publisher & Editor of MW says, “Despite this being the first edition of the ranking and awards, we witnessed huge participation and attendance from the industry and bar enthusiasts. We congratulate all the winners, and thank our esteemed jurors and sponsors for their support. We hope to make 30 Bars India the gold standard for bar ranking in the country."

Leading up to 30 Best Bars India 2019, 13 leading bars in the NCR region also hosted a week long Cocktail Carnival from 14^th to 19^th October. The bars curated 6 special cocktails each for their patrons for the week and offered at a special pricing. A special bar takeover was organized on 22^nd October, where - The Bombay Canteen from Mumbai and Off-the-Record from Chennai alongwith the Bar Masons consultancy from Chennai took over the bar at Together at 12^th at Le Meridian Gurgaon to celebrate the eve before the announcement night.

30 Best Bars India, 2019, was supported by some of the biggest names in the Indian alcohol and associate industries. While Beam Suntory is the Associate Sponsor, our other partners include - Pullman Aerocity New Delhi for  Hospitality,  Diageo India, Bacardi India, Gruppo Campari, United Breweries, Svami Drinks, Grover Zampa, Alenka Media, DVKSP, Speed X Bars, Himalayan Water, MaRS and Sleepy Owl Coffee which audited the votes and   the polling process. 

Voting Process:

30 Best Bars India 2019 is based on a nationwide poll of more than 200 bar connoisseurs and industry experts.

The journey started early this year with a list of 450 plus bars from across the country which was narrowed down to 136 bars and further shortlisted to 50 bars this month. The bars covered over a dozen of Indian cities and regions – Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kolkata, Shillong, Darjeeling, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Puducherry and more. Besides the ranking, each of the jury members was asked to vote in the following eight categories: Best Bar, Best Hotel Bar, Best Independent Bar, Best Microbrewery/ Taproom, Best Cocktail Menu, Best Bar Design, Best Bar Team and Best Bartender.

The ranking also featured two People Choice Awards for the Best Bar and Best Microbrewery/Taproom, based on an open online polling of bar users from across the country.  Additionally, two nominated awards in the category of Best Vintage Bar and an Industry Legend Award were presented during the main ceremony. While the former will honour a bar that is more than 30 years old and still going strong, the latter will be given to a personality of high standing in the bar industry who has served the community with distinction over a long period of time.

●        Delhi NCR leads the 30 Best Bar  list featuring 10 bars, followed by Mumbai (9), Bangalore (8) and Kolkata (3)

●        Delhi's Sidecar is India's Best Bar, followed by The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai), Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy (Gurgaon), Comorin (Gurgaon) and House of Nomad - Taj Land’s End (Mumbai).

●        Besides Best Bar, awards were given out in 11 other categories including Best Independent Bar, Best Hotel Bar, Best Microbrewery, Best Bar Team, Best Bartender, etc.

●        Refinery 091, Kolkata and Byg Brewski Brewing Company, Bangalore won the  for People’s Choice Awards for Best Bar and Best Microbrewery/ Taproom Awards respectively

●        Best Vintage Bar and Industry Legend awarded to Harbour Bar, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai and Shatbhi Basu respectively

●        30 Best Bars 2019 is India’s first independent national annual ranking of bars, and a celebration of Indian  bartending talent and growing bar culture in India

●        The ranking is based on a nationwide jury poll of more than 200 bar enthusiasts and industry experts

About 30 Best Bars India:

’30 Best Bars India 2019’ (www.30bestbarsindia.in) is India’s first national ranking, and awards platform, curated to bring the growing bar culture of India to the forefront. Besides giving bars across India  special recognition, the awards  also celebrate bartending and bar crafts talent that is helping shape the industry. This platform will help the bars  gain national and international prominence, showcase their talent, and establish bar crafts as a revered profession.

About Man’s World Magazine:

MW magazine (www.mansworldindia.com), also known as Man’s World, is India’s pioneering men’s luxury lifestyle magazine. Wines, spirits and the bar scene have been part of its extensive coverage since the first issue in February 2000.

About Tulleeho:

Tulleeho (www.tulleeho.com) is a beverage education, training and consulting firm, working with the beverage and hospitality industry in South and South East Asia.