Barcelona's Paradiso Named the World's Best Bar

The World's 50 Best Bars 2022, sponsored by Perrier, were unveiled at a live awards ceremony in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain on Tuesday 4th October. Marking the 14th year of the illustrious list, and the first time it has been revealed outside of London, the awards unite the global bar community in recognition of the bartenders, bar owners and brands at the forefront of the international cocktail scene.

The World's 50 Best Bars 2022 features bars from 26 cities and sees Barcelona's Paradiso take the No.1 spot to be named The Best Bar in Europe and The World's Best Bar, sponsored by Perrier. This is the first time this honour has been bestowed on a bar outside of the historic cocktail capitals of New York and London.

Hidden behind an antique refrigerator in the back of an unassuming pastrami shop in Barcelona's trendy El Born district, Paradiso offers a truly masterful take on the speakeasy, combining technique, precision and creativity with an unwavering sense of fun. In stark contrast to the understated exterior, the majestic front bar welcomes guests into a strikingly playful space, complete with dramatic glass light fittings and Gaudi-inspired curved-wood ceiling. At the bar, myriad meticulously crafted cocktails served in outlandish vessels take centre stage. Paradiso signatures, such as the Supercool Martini, uses 'supercooled' gin to build an iceberg in the glass before tailoring the final product tableside for a uniquely personal guest experience. From creating coasters and bar tools from single-use waste to hosting the first Paradiso Sustainability Summit, owners Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader and their outstanding team showcase their unwavering commitment to ongoing sustainability, both within Paradiso and the wider industry.

Mark Sansom, Content Director of The World's 50 Best Bars, says: "The fact that this is the first time we have crowned a bar outside New York or London as The World's Best Bar is a testament to the huge achievements of Giacomo, Margarita and their team. Since being named One To Watch in 2017 a year after opening, Paradiso has been a firm fixture of the 50 Best list, enhancing its ranking year after year. It is an honour to name it as The World's Best Bar and the win is credit to Paradiso's outlandishly inventive cocktail programme, sustainable ethos, work in the global bar community and brilliant sense of fun. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to each and every bar on the list and we are delighted to once again be able to showcase the incredible diversity of the global bar sector, from grand hotel bars and dive bars to neighbourhood speakeasies and stunning rooftop spaces. The consumer appetite for quality cocktail bars just keeps on growing and to be able to introduce 14 new entries to help sate this and encourage travel plans couldn't make us happier."

Elisa Gregori, Perrier Global Business Unit Director, says: "We are very honoured in 2022 to be able to support 50 Best in organising the largest ceremony to date in Barcelona, and thereby mark the kickstart of international travel for The World's 50 Best Bars event, sponsored by Perrier. A big congratulations to the team at Paradiso for being voted The World's Best Bar, sponsored by Perrier, as well as all the bars that made The World's 50 Best Bars 2022 list! At Perrier we believe that human progress relies on the endless creativity of people that dare to see the world differently. So, we're extremely proud to shine a spotlight on the 2022 community of professionals, friends and family that do exactly that, pushing the envelope of creativity and hospitality."