Big boozy news: last night, the World's 50 Best Bars list was announced at a banger of a party in Barcelona. This year, the results shook things up as a bar outside the UK snagged the top spot from 2021's winner, the Connaught Bar. But London still took the title of the cocktail capital of Europe, with a total of five bars on the list (gotta love our hometown). Wanna know which bar led the way? Read on...

1. Paradiso

Barcelona, Spain

Step through a fridge door in a pastrami shop, and you'll be transported into a whole new universe - a universe that just so happens to be the world's best bar. This drinking den from Giacomo Giannotti is a copper-hued haven that's all about off-the-wall creativity. Case in point? Their signature serve, the Supercool Martini - that's redistilled gin frozen with a patented technique, and you're gonna want to get involved.

2. Tayer & Elementary 

London, UK

Bringing it home for London is this two-in-one gem of a bar in Old Street, the bad-ass creation of bartending power duo Monica Berg and Alex Kratena. In the front, Elementary serves up wicked tap cocktails - the One Sip Martini, a tiny version of the classic garnished with a fat blue cheese olive, is forever our fave. And in the back, you're in for a world-class experience, with minimalist drinks dripping with style, crafted using cutting-edge techniques.

3. Sips

Barcelona, Spain

^{Photo credit: Instagram @sips.barcelona}

A bar without a bar? Yeah, it's unconventional, but you're at Sips - so expect the unexpected. From the minds of Simone Caporale and Marc Alvarez, this thoroughly modern spot features an island in the middle of the room where the bartenders do their thing rather than a full-on bar. Naturally, the drinks also deliver a few wicked theatrical surprises. Prepare to be awed.

4. Licorería Limantour

Mexico City, Mexico

^{Photo credit: Instagram @limantourmx}

This bar has been pioneering the drinks scene in Mexico since it opened way back in 2011. At 11 years old, it's basically a grandaddy of the bar scene, but it still does it BIG, with high-concept menus, familiar yet high-level drinks and impeccable hospitality. What else would you expect from the best bar in the North America?

5. Little Red Door

Paris, France

A fixture of the World's Best Bars list for eight years, this hideaway in Paris' Marais district is all about keeping things local. The bar has adopted a farm-to-glass ethos, highlighted in its Flourish menu, and fruit and veg play a starring role in each drink. The team have even hung portraits of the local producers on the walls of the space, which has a cosy vibe with lots of exposed brick and dramatic lighting.