The three-tier guide, likened to the Michelin Guide system for restaurants, has presented two Pins to 12 bars and a further 25 single Pins, but so far no three-pinned bars have been announced.
The Pinnacle Guide assesses submissions from bars covering six assessment modules which cover the drinks program, staff management and venue look and feel. Successful entries made it through to an in-person evaluation process conducted by a global group of anonymous reviewers including industry experts and bartenders from diverse backgrounds who received in-depth training from The Pinnacle Guide.
INNAUGURAL PINS LIST:
Three Pin bars
There are no three pin bars yet
Two Pin bars
ATLAS, Singapore
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour, Phoenix, USA
Nipperkin, London, UK
Origin Bar, Shangri-La Singapore, Singapore
Panda & Sons, Edinburgh, UK
Paradiso, Barcelona, Spain
Pretty Decent, Louisville, USA
Selva, Oaxaca, Mexico
The American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, UK
The Spy Bar at Raffles London, UK
Thunderbolt, Los Angeles, USA
True Laurel, San Francisco, USA
One Pin bars
Artesian, London, UK
Ballroom by Barbary Coast, Singapore
Blue Bar at The Berkeley, London, UK
Couch, Birmingham, UK
Cure, New Orleans, USA
El Primo Sanchez, Sydney, Australia
Kiki Lounge, Isle of Man, UK
KOL Mezcaleria, London, UK
Kwant Mayfair, London, UK
Little Rituals, Phoenix, USA
Magnus on Water, Maine, USA
Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia
Meteor, Minneapolis, USA
Milady's, New York City, USA
Nightjar Shoreditch, London, UK
Passing Fancies, Birmingham, UK
Rattlebag, Belfast, UK
Roka Dubai, UAE
Sexy Fish, London, UK
Sexy Fish, Manchester UK
Side Hustle, London, UK
Swift Soho, London, UK
The Dead Rabbit, New York City, USA
The Guards Bar & Lounge at Raffles, London, UK
Velvet by Salvatore Calabrese, London, UK
“In revealing this first list, we have been able to realise our goal of celebrating the extraordinary range of cocktail bars the world has to offer - from tiny drinking dens to majestic hotel bars. We’re proud of our unique submissions process, which has allowed these deserving bars to shine - and we’re excited to shed light on many more in the months and years to come,” said co-founder, Dan Dove.
The Pinnacle Guide opened applications in November 2023 and hundreds of applications were received from seven markets, including the UK, US, Australia, UAE, Mexico, Singapore, and Spain.
To be awarded a Pin, a bar must demonstrate ‘excellent’, ‘outstanding’ or ‘exceptional’ work on both sides of the bar.
Each bar on the shortlist showcases a commitment to sustainability and also incorporated a minimum of two non-alcoholic drinks into its menu.
“The response we’ve received from bars in regards to our feedback, whether pinned or not, has been extremely motivating,” added co-founders Siobhan Payne and Hannah Sharman-Cox.
“Progress can only happen if we provide genuine, meaningful and reflective insight as to why these bars have or haven’t made it, and it’s been very promising to witness how applicants are taking this on board.”
Applications for The Pinnacle Guide are always open.
