11 replies to this topic

[Adrian]

From Drinks International. Odd looking list.

[Orik]

From Drinks International. Odd looking list.

Buddha Bar

[balex]

From Drinks International. Odd looking list.

Buddha Bar

Yes, wow.

But the Connaught bar is my favourite bar in London so they got something right.

[Wilfrid]

It's certainly a list you'd get by polling the people they polled (Playboy Club’s Salvatore Calabrese, King Cocktail Dale DeGroff, Esquire US’s David Wondrich and diamond ice-carver Hidetsugu Ueno, etc). Hence the homogeneity and general lack of character - although not, of course, of professional polish.

[Daisy]

It's certainly a list you'd get by polling the people they polled (Playboy Club’s Salvatore Calabrese, King Cocktail Dale DeGroff, Esquire US’s David Wondrich and diamond ice-carver Hidetsugu Ueno, etc). Hence the homogeneity and general lack of character - although not, of course, of professional polish.

Have you ever been to Boadas in Barcelona? Because it strikes me as the sort of place that would be to your taste.

Buddha Bar, ha indeed. Drink champagne at Buddha Bar would be my advice, and make sure it's on someone else's dime. I do recall very competent although vertiginously expensive cocktails at the Ritz and the Plaza Athenee.

I love the bar in Rules.

[Orik]

It's certainly a list you'd get by polling the people they polled (Playboy Club's Salvatore Calabrese, King Cocktail Dale DeGroff, Esquire US's David Wondrich and diamond ice-carver Hidetsugu Ueno, etc). Hence the homogeneity and general lack of character - although not, of course, of professional polish.

Ueno has plenty of character. It's a bit unfortunate that some of that character involves beating his assistant when he's upset about the state of business and the lousy food he had in Taiwan the week before, but his bar is still a highly recommended stop. (but of course even though it's genuinely great, gets hyped above and beyond what might be justified in a city where there are bars offering hundreds of whiskeys and plenty of character)

Drink champagne at Buddha Bar would be my advice

And keep your eye on your drink at all times.

[Eatmywords]

With Stoli as a sponsor I was surprised the list contained as many legitimate entries

[Daisy]

Drink champagne at Buddha Bar would be my advice

And keep your eye on your drink at all times.

But of course.

[hollywood]

If I read this correctly, The Varnish in downtown LA is the 22d best bar in the world? Please! There are any number of other bars equal to or better than The Varnish (although I do like it a lot) downtown, in Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and elsewhere.

[Wilfrid]

Walked past Boadas often enough, but didn't know it had a reputation. I don't really think of drinking around the Plaza de Catalunya (although there's a bar a little way down the Ramblas on the right which has a nice sausage plate).

[Lauren]

I've been to only two of the bars on the list, Boadas being one of them (Pegu Club the other).

We loved Boadas - it was low key and made lovely cocktails.

For me, when I look at these lists I scan it looking for the places I've been, and then I decide whether or not the list has merit. Since I liked Boadas a lot, I'll probably use the list as a starting point when I travel to the other cities represented on it.

[Adrian]

Drink has no business being on the list despite its excellent cocktails.