The UK’s top 50 cocktail bars have been named - and two of them are in Wales. Franklin & Sons Top 50 Cocktail Bars awards has announced its list of the best drinking spots in 2024, as voted for its academy of experts - business leaders, influencers and drinks writers across the UK.
Almost half of the winners are in London, taking up 24 spots in total, with Shoreditch accounting for five of those - the joint most of any area in the country. But it was Schofield's Bar in Manchester that claimed the top spot for the first time. The popular venue, on Little Quay Street, has been widely acclaimed since it first opened its doors in 2021.
Both winning Welsh bars are in Cardiff city centre, with much acclaimed Lab 22 on Caroline Street coming in 17th place and Pennyroyal on High Street taking the 48th spot. You can read more about Lab 22, a tiny bar above a Greggs and next to a kebab shop that serves the best cocktails in the world and keeps winning awards here.
Manchester is home to three other winners, while Edinburgh also has five entries on the list. There are also three in both Birmingham and Glasgow, as well as two in Bristol, Leeds and Sheffield, and one each in Auchterarder, Bath and Bournemouth. For the latest restaurant reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here
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You can see which of the top 50 cocktail bars are nearest to you by using our interactive map below. Want less ads? Download WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android
Here is the list of winners in full:
1st: Schofield's Bar, Manchester
2nd: Satan's Whiskers, Bethnal Green
3rd: Passing Fancies, Birmingham
4th: Couch, Birmingham
5th: Hey Palu, Edinburgh
6th: Blinker, Manchester
7th: Swift, Soho
8th: AMARO BAR, Kensington
9th: Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
10th: Tayér + Elementary, Shoreditch
11th: Kwãnt , Mayfair
12th: Speak In Code, Manchester
13th: Three Sheets, Dalston
14th: A bar with shapes for a name, Hackney
15th: Murder Inc., Soho
16th: Tabula Rasa, Leeds
17th: Lab 22, Cardiff
18th: Filthy XII, Bristol
19th: Crossroads, Newington Green
20th: The Connaught, Mayfair
21st: Project Halcyon, Manchester
22nd: SOMA, Soho
23rd: Eve Bar, Covent Garden
24th: Side Hustle, Covent Garden
25th: The Hideout, Bath
26th: Little Mercies, Crouch End
27th: Below Stairs, Leeds
28th: Silverleaf, Spitalfields
29th: Bar Termini, Soho
30th: Seed Library, Shoreditch
31st: Charlie Brown's, Glasgow
32nd: Bramble, Edinburgh
33rd: Scarfes Bar, Holborn
34th: Happiness Forgets, Shoreditch
35th: The Absent Ear, Glasgow
36th: The Bar With No Name (69 Colebrooke Row), Islington
37th: Artesian, Fitzrovia
38th: Callooh Callay, Shoreditch
39th: Fox and Chance, Birmingham
40th: Milk Thistle, Bristol
41st: Nauticus, Edinburgh
42nd: Public, Sheffield
43rd: The Gate, Glasgow
44th: Nightjar, Shoreditch
45th: Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth
46th: The Wildcat, Edinburgh
47th: Lyaness, South Bank
48th: Pennyroyal, Cardiff
49th: Bench, Sheffield
50th: American bar Gleneagles, Auchterarder
