India’s 30 Best Bars 2019 ranking revealed; Delhi dominates with 10 entries; Delhi’s Sidecar is the Best Bar, followed by Bombay Canteen

 

• New Delhi leads the 30 Best Bar  list featuring 10 bars, followed by Mumbai (9), Bangalore (8) and Kolkata (3)

 

• Delhi’s Sidecar is India’s Best Bar, followed by The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai), Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy (Gurgaon), Comorin (Gurgaon) and  House of Nomad – Taj Land’s End (Mumbai).

 

• Besides Best Bar, awards were given out in 11 other categories including Best Independent Bar, Best Hotel Bar, Best Microbrewery, Best Bar Team, Best Bartender, etc.

 

 

• Refinery 091, Kolkata and Byg Brewski Brewing Company, Bangalore won the for People’s Choice Awards for Best Bar and Best Microbrewery/ Taproom Awards respectively

 

 

• Best Vintage Bar and Industry Legend awarded to Harbour Bar, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai and Shatbhi Basu respectively

 

 

• 30 Best Bars 2019 is India’s first  independent national annual ranking of bars, and a celebration of Indian bartending talent and growing bar culture in India

 

 

• The ranking is based  on a nationwide jury poll of more than 200 bar enthusiasts and industry experts.

 

Indiawide release, October 23, 2019: Tulleeho and Man’s World magazine unveiled  the 30 Best Bars India 2019 list  last night at a well-attended awards show  at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity in the nation’s capital. 30 Best Bars India 2019  ranking is based on a nationwide poll of more than 200 bar enthusiasts and industry experts. It is envisioned as an  independent annual bar ranking, backed by a strong intention to give Indian talent global recognition. It is a platform to recognize & raise the standards of bars and beverage service in India. It aims to provide Indian bars and bartending talent an opportunity to gain prominence in the international markets and also help promote bartending as a serious profession across the country.

India’s 30 Best Bars 2019: Delhi’s Sidecar is India’s Best Bar followed by The Bombay Canteen and Gurgaon’s Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy.

MW magazine and Tulleeho, India’s leading bar training company,  unveiled the ranking of the India’s 30 Best Bars for 2019 at a glittering awards ceremony at Delhi’s Pullman Aerocity last week. The ranking was  based on a nationwide poll of more than 200 industry experts, bar enthusiasts and alcohol connoisseurs. They were asked to vote from a slate of 136 bars spread over 12 cities across the country, whittled down from an original list of more than 450 bars.

New Delhi’s Sidecar emerged as India’s Best Bar, followed by The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai), Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy (Gurgaon),  Comorin (Gurgaon) and  House of Nomad – Taj Land’s End (Mumbai). Aer – Four Seasons (Mumbai), Byg Brewski Brewing (Bangalore) , O Pedro (Mumbai), PCO (New Delhi), The Hong Kong Club – Hyatt Andaz Delhi (New Delhi) round up the Top 10 Best Bars list. New Delhi  dominated the citywise  30 Best Bar 2019 ranking was with 10 bars, followed by Mumbai (9), Bangalore (8) and Kolkata (3). 

Besides the overall Best Bar category, the jury was asked to vote in five other categories, Best Independent Bar, Best Hotel Bar, Best Bar Design, Best Cocktail Menu  and Best Microbrewery/Taproom. A separate Technical Jury consisting of 20 industry insiders voted for winners in two categories — Best Bartender and Best Bar Team. While the general public voted in two additional categories — People Choice Best Bar and People Choice Best Microbrewery/Taproom. 

The Tanqueray Best Hotel Bar Award Aer was won by Aer,  the terrace bar at Four Seasons Mumbai, followed by won the, followed by  House of Nomad at Mumbai’s Taj Land’s End, The Hong Kong Club at Delhi’s Hyatt Andaz, Harbour Bar at Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai and Together at 12th at Le Meridien in Gurgaon.

Sidecar beat out some stiff competition from bars in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to win the Teacher’s Glasses Best Independent Bar Award. It was followed by Toast and Tonic from Bangalore, Whisky Samba(Delhi), Cocktails And Dreams Speakeasy  (Gurgaon) and Bombay Canteen.

The SpeedX Best Bar Design Award was won by House of Nomad. They were followed by Aer, Byg Brewski Brewing (Bangalore), Sidecar and Whisky Samba.

Toit, Bangalore was declared to be the best microbrewery in the country winning the DVKSP Best Microbrewery / Taproom Award. Bangalore breweries took four out of the five positions in this categories. Arbor Brewing was runner up, followed by Quaff (Gurgaon), and Bangalore’s Windmills Craftwerks & Byg Brewski Brewing.

Varun Sudhakar, the much feted young bartender from Mumbai’s Runway Project by Pizza Express won the coveted Teacher’s Glasses Best Bartender Award. 

There was a tie for the race to win the Bacardi Experiences Best Bar Team Award, with both Bombay Canteen and Byg Brewski scoring the same number of votes. They were followed by Bar teams of Together at 12th, PCO (Delhi), Gylt (Bangalore) and The Grid (Kolkata). 

Sidecar were called on stage for a third time when they won the Ketel One Best Cocktail Menu Award. The other bars in the top 5 of this category include Comorin (Gurgaon), Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy, Bombay Canteen and Mumbai’s Thirsty City 127.

The People’s Choice Best Bar Award was won by Kolkata’s Refinery 091 and the DVKSP People’s Choice Award for Best Microbrewery / Taproom went to Bangalore’s Byg Brewski Brewing. 

DVKSP Best Microbrewery / Taproom Award

Best Bar Award

 

• Tanqueray Best Hotel Bar Award

 

• Teacher’s Glasses Best Independent Bar Award

 

• Teacher’s Glasses Best Bartender Award

 

• Ketel One Best Cocktail Menu Award

 

• Bacardi Experiences Best Bar Team Award

 

• SpeedX Best Bar Design Award

 

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• People’s Choice Best Bar Award

 

• DVKSP People’s Choice Award for Best Microbrewery / Taproom

 

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• Best Vintage Bar Award

 

• Pullman New Delhi Aerocity Industry Legend Award

 

In the individual awards category, House of Nomad, Taj Lands End (Mumbai) was declared to be the winner of the Best Bar Design Award.

The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai) and Byg Brewski Company (Bangalore) jointly won the  Best Bar Team Award; Varun Sudhakar of The Runway Project by Pizza Express (Mumbai) was declared the Best Bartender ;  Toit (Bangalore) won the Best Microbrewery / Taproom Award; Aer, Four Seasons (Mumbai) won the  Best Hotel Bar Award. 

Sidecar (New Delhi) won  the Best Cocktail Menu Award, Best Independent Bar Award in addition to  Best Bar Award. Shatbhi Basu was the winner of the inaugural Industry Legend Award, and Harbour Bar, The Taj Mahal Palace (Mumbai) won the Best Vintage Bar Award. 

Public favorites  were Refinery 091 (Kolkata) and Byg Brewski Company (Bangalore) which won the   People’s Choice Best Bar Award, and People’s Choice Best Microbrewery/ Taproom Award respectively. These awards were based on an open online poll for the public. 

Mr. Vikram Achanta, Co-founder and CEO, Tulleeho says, “This has been a very interesting journey for us. We started with a master list of 450 deserving bars across more than 12 cities in the country to arrive at our list of 30 Best Bars. This attests to the fast growing nature of the bar scene in the country. Some of the winners yesterday will easily measure up to the best in Asia.”

View the full list of winners here – Ranking of India’s 30 Best Bars.