World's 50 Best Bars keeps four Italian bars listed
Four Italian venues hold their spots on the extended 51-100 ranking, two weeks before Milan hosts the World's 50 Best Bars ceremony for the first time.
The World's 50 Best Bars keeps four Italian venues on its extended ranking, published September 23 from London, two weeks before Milan hosts the main ceremony for the first time.
The organization, now branded The 50, released its 51-100 list for 2026 on Wednesday. The tier sits below the closely guarded top 50, which stays sealed until October 7. Both lists come from the same confidential vote.
Rome holds two of Italy's four spots. Freni e Frizioni ranks No.62 and Drink Kong ranks No.92. Florence's Gucci Giardino sits at No.91, and Milan's own entry, 1930, lands at No.94, the only local name in the city about to host the awards.
The 51-100 list lets us recognise a broader range of exceptional venues worldwide
World's 50 Best Bars widens the field
Thirteen bars debut on the extended list this year, among them Boilermaker in Goa, Bar Gabriel in Istanbul and Bar 1661 in Dublin. Three more return after dropping off past editions: Penicillin in Hong Kong, Little Red Door in Paris and Vesper in Bangkok.
None of the four Italian bars is a new arrival. All sat on the 51-100 list before, which the organization treats as a mark of staying power rather than a fresh discovery. Faye Huggett, Director of Community at The World's 50 Best Bars, says the tier "has become a vital part of The 50 Best Bars programme, allowing us to recognise a broader range of exceptional venues from around the world."
The full ranking draws on more than 800 bartenders, writers and consultants who vote each year through the same academy. Voting stays confidential until the ceremony, so nobody outside the organization sees the top 50 before the room in Milan does.
Milan takes over as host city
The ceremony moves to the Palazzo del Ghiaccio, a former ice rink converted into an event space, on October 7, a date Milan confirmed as its first Italian host slot months earlier. It marks the 18th edition of the World's 50 Best Bars and the first held in Italy. The broadcast streams live on The 50's channel at 20:00 Milan time.
Rikki Tidball, Managing Director of Events for The World's 50 Best Bars, points to the city's own bar scene as the reason for the pick. Milan, he said earlier this year, is "a city renowned for its rich cocktail heritage and thriving bar scene."
Milan built that reputation on the aperitivo, the pre-dinner ritual that turned Campari and Aperol into local staples long before the spritz went global. The four Italian names on the extended list carry no guarantee for October 7; only the vote count decides who climbs into the top 50.
