PARCHED | JIGGER & PONY TOPS ASIA'S 50 BEST BARS

And that, Agent Smith says, is the sound of inevitability.

Jigger & Pony from Singapore topped the annual poll in an online reveal. The ceremony was live streamed on FB, which meant we missed out on the usual shindig at Capitol Theatre (2021, we’re looking at you), and had to settle with a homemade cocktail while the presenters blitzed through the list—such is our new abnormal now.

Still, congrats to Jigger & Pony, whose rise, according to organiser 50 Best, has been nothing short of meteoric: “In 2018 it entered the list for the first time. In 2019, it won the Highest Climber Award, moving 33 places up the ranking, and this year it swoops in to take the top award as The Best Bar in Asia 2020.”

We’ve had a few in Jigger & Pony, and have never been let down by its martinis and service. The decor is also something else to behold, with its priapic bench and subtle sexy touches (some not so subtle). One time I spilled a fresh Dirty Martini before I could get to it, and they promptly made me another, gratis. Class. Well deserved then, though was disappointed several other Singapore bars didn’t make the list (Junior, Origin, too soon for Barbary Coast but watch this space. Also Union Trading Co. and J.Borosky from Shanghai, China). And where the hell was Operation Dagger?!

The top 5 goes like this:

1 > Jigger & Pony, Singapore

2 > The Old Man, Hong Kong, China

3 > COA, Hong Kong, China

4 > Indulge Experimental Bistro, Taipei, Taiwan

5 > Atlas, Singapore

You can see the full list at Asia’s 50 Best.

Here’s more info from our friends at Spirited Singapore and Highest Spirit.

Other highlights:

The 2020 list features 10 countries in Asia
Greater China has the highest number of bars on the list, with 12 bars and two new entries
No Sleep Club, Singapore, takes the Campari One To Watch Award
Indulge Experimental Bistro, Taiwan, wins the Heering Legend of The List Award
The Old Man, Singapore, is awarded London Essence Best New Opening (it’s our favourite new bar from 2019)
Bee’s Knees, Japan, secures the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award

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What does an award mean when you can’t go out to celebrate its place in the pantheon? You make do, you make to-do lists, and you make delivery orders. I’ve resolved to travel when the world has lifted its spirits, and will hit each of those bars on the list, my ice bucket list, so to speak. We cenobites of cocktails pray for that day when we can say a salut to our favourite bars, and salute them on their creativity, survival skills, and service to the parched punter. Until then…

gladiator