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Conducting its eighth iteration this year, the Bar World 100 list by Drinks International sets off to find the bar personalities who wield global influence on the drinks industry. Specifically, the anonymous panel of voters are asked to name people in the bar world who have been innovating and pushing the industry forward, setting new trends and standards globally, inspiring the industry around them, and who have been using their influence to effect positive changes.
It’s a tall order, so we are pleased that one of Hong Kong’s own has made it into the top 10 rankings, with a handful of other bar figures from our city also within the full Bar World 100 list. Lorenzo Antinori, co-founder of Bar Leone (The World’s Best Bar 2025), has been much celebrated and sought after since his Italian neighbourhood joint blew up barely a year after opening in 2023. He has since co-founded another popular bar in Soho, opened a Leone offshoot in Shanghai, served Hollywood A-listers at the Academy Awards’ official after-party this year, and been tapped to take on the role of Qatar Airways’ global mixologist consultant. In a drinks scene that is increasingly stepping away from showy productions (just for the sake of being flashy) and needless pretension, Bar Leone’s concept of cocktail popolari – simple cocktails for the people – set a beautiful precedent for high drink standards and warm hospitality, without needless faff.
Simone Caporale of Sips and Boadas in Barcelona sits just behind Antinori on the Bar World 100 list, at No. 7 – Antinori and Caporale joined hands last year to launch the Cuban-themed Montana in Hong Kong. Another Hong Kong-related bar personality on the list is Shingo Gokan at No. 9, the man behind some of Asia’s best-known bars, including Gokan in Central.
Some other Hong Kong recognitions on this year’s Bar World 100 list include Agung Prabowo (No. 40), co-founder of Penicillin Hong Kong and Shanghai; Ezra Star (No. 60), who leads Mostly Harmless and co-founded the group which operates Call Me Al and Artifact; and Jay Khan (No. 73), co-founder of Coa Hong Kong and Shanghai.
As for the most influential bar personality in the world this year? The honour goes to Jean Trinh, the man behind Alquímico, which was ranked No. 11 in the World’s Best Bars 2025. With three floors of Latin party vibes in a 19th-century mansion in Cartagena, Alquímico proudly celebrates Columbian culture and community – menus throughout the bar fund Trinh’s different philanthropic causes, such as constructing buildings for a war-torn farming region, a bartending academy, and a music foundation for disadvantaged youths.
See Drinks International for the full list of Bar World 100, and a more in-depth look at each winner.
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