Asia's 50 Best Bars has unveiled its 2026 extended 51-100 list, with India securing two coveted spots. Goa’s maritime-themed Bar Outrigger lands at No.51, just shy of the top 50, while New Delhi’s avant-garde, three-storey Aabbcc debuts at No.85. The ranking, spanning cities from Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur, is compiled by a 300-strong, gender-balanced academy and verified by Deloitte.
Asia's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, released its sixth extended 51-100 list on July 14, two weeks ahead of the live awards ceremony at Wynn Palace, Macau, on July 28, where the new top 50 will be revealed. This year's edition spans everywhere from Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur, with Singapore leading the field at seven bars, followed by Tokyo, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur with four apiece. The ranking is compiled by the Asia's 50 Best Bars Academy, a gender-balanced panel of more than 300 bartenders, bar owners and drinks writers from across the region, and independently verified by Deloitte. Ho Chi Minh City's The Enigma Mansion recorded the single biggest jump on the list, climbing 38 places to No.55 after abandoning its neon-lit former identity for a heritage mansion setting, while Singapore's BOP, a Korean-inflected offshoot of the Jigger & Pony Group, entered at No.52 as the highest-ranked new arrival.
Bar Outrigger opens this year's list at No.51, just outside the top 50 it has previously flirted with. Set a short walk from the sandy shore of Dona Paula, the bar leans fully into a maritime theme, with interiors built to sell the nautical concept and a collection running past 100 rums sourced from its crew's own travels. The signature namesake cocktail is the recommended order, best had watching the sunset over the water, though gin-forward drinks such as a classic dry martini and an original called Punk's Not Dead, built on Punk gin, Mastiha honey and lemon juice, have also drawn attention beyond the rum list. The bar sits tucked down a narrow lane past a small chapel, reachable only on foot from the nearest parking.
The highest-profile new entry from India this year is Aabbcc, a three-storey concept bar in Vasant Vihar's Basant Lok market from the team behind New Delhi's Lair, currently ranked No.8 on Asia's top 50. The ground level operates as a working ingredient museum, with a wall of more than 80 components, including honey-bred black ants, stored in individually lit jars; one floor up sits what may be India's longest omakase-style cocktail counter, a 21-foot bar with just 10 seats where bartenders double as guides through a menu organised by time rather than spirit. The section called Yesterday reworks classics such as the Bellini and the Long Island Iced Tea; Today leans into global-meets-local combinations, among them a rum-based Ube Colada finished with mango caviar; and Tomorrow turns fully experimental, running through tasting-menu-style chapters named Blueprints, Prototypes and Revelations, with drinks such as a tequila-based riff on Thai curry and a gin interpretation of baingan ka bharta, the charred aubergine dish, garnished with three kinds of salt. A rooftop-level lounge called the Amp Room closes out the space, shifting between a quiet listening room on weekdays and a live-DJ venue after dark on weekends.