The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025: Bar Leone wins

The 2025 edition of The World’s 50 Best Bars leaves little doubt: Italian bartenders, wherever they land, continue to set the global pace. Lorenzo Antinori’s Bar Leone in Hong Kong has been crowned number one, a place that channels the Italian spirit through an Asian lens. Just two spots below, Simone Caporale’s Sips in Barcelona takes third place, while the two bartenders now share a new project. Other familiar names complete Italy’s global constellation: Paradiso (Barcelona) by Giacomo Giannotti ranks fourth, the Connaught Bar in London—run by Agostino Perrone and his team—comes in sixth. Back in Italy, Moebius Milano lands seventh, Locale Firenze 22nd, Drink Kong in Rome 40th, and Milan’s 1930 43rd.

A Global Stage, an Italian Accent

Each year, The World’s 50 Best Bars captures the industry’s attention. And once again, Italy delivers its own answer: excellence. Even from afar, Italian bartenders are shaping the language of mixology, proving that skill and sensibility honed behind local counters can travel without losing authenticity. This year’s ceremony, hosted in Hong Kong, marks a milestone—Bar Leone by Lorenzo Antinori takes the top spot, giving Asia its first-ever overall win.

The Grace of Simplicity

In the heart of Central, Bar Leone distills Rome’s drinking culture into a refined yet familiar experience. Antinori, a Roman native with years spent at the bars of London and Seoul’s grand hotels, has reduced his idea of hospitality to something essential. A few drinks, a warm welcome, a rhythm that feels both local and universal. The result is a bar that speaks softly but leaves a clear impression.

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Caporale’s Sips, in Barcelona, reinforces this understated strength. Run with Marc Álvarez, it blends precision and playfulness in a way that feels distinctly European. The bar follows Handshake in second place, while Caporale himself receives the Industry Icon award.

Two Paths Crossing Again in Hong Kong

After building separate yet parallel careers, Antinori and Caporale now converge in Hong Kong with a joint venture: Montana. The bar, still young, has already drawn attention as a meeting point between two creative worlds. It signals a wider shift—the quiet globalization of Italian mixology, rooted in craft rather than spectacle.

Italian Bars on the Rise

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Across the ranking, Italian names continue to climb. Giacomo Giannotti’s Paradiso moves up to fourth place; London’s Connaught Bar, under Agostino Perrone, to sixth. Moebius Milano, led by Lorenzo Querci, jumps thirty-one places to seventh, earning the Highest Climber award for blending food, music and cocktails with rare coherence. Locale in Florence remains a benchmark for Tuscany’s refined bar scene at number 22. In Rome, Drink Kong joins the top 40, while Milan’s 1930—a discreet speakeasy from the Farmily group—ranks 43rd. Each has its own voice, yet all share the same Italian ease: hospitality delivered with poise and measure.

Italy’s Ongoing Influence

Italian bartenders today run bars and brands that define the tone of contemporary drinking. Antinori has shown how Mediterranean warmth can resonate in Asia; Caporale has built in Barcelona a model that others emulate. Their stories intersect in a way that reflects the country’s broader influence—made of detail, of conversation, of a certain human touch that never feels rehearsed.

A Language Spoken Everywhere

In the 2025 list of The World’s 50 Best Bars, Italy stands as a reference point—a way to measure the balance between style and substance. From Hong Kong to Barcelona, from Florence to London, the conversation around cocktails continues in Italian.