SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, February 23, 2023 — North America's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will return for a second edition in May 2023 and the three-day spectacle will be held in San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

After a stellar 2022 launch event in New York City, the ceremony will again unite the North American bar community in recognition of the best bars in the continent. Following last year's debut, this year's event program moves to Mexico, to shine the spotlight on the country's world-leading cocktail scene. North America's 50 Best Bars will be an unbridled celebration of the bartenders, bar owners and brands over three days of events in San Miguel de Allende, a short flight from Mexico City and three hours from Dallas, Texas.

Mark Sansom, Content Director for North America's 50 Best Bars, says: “We can't wait to launch our second North America's 50 Best Bars awards program, which will be bigger and better than ever. This year's celebration of the continent's diverse bar scene will take place in San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful Mexican UNESCO World Heritage city with a renowned food and drink culture. Mexico's cocktail caliber is without doubt one of the world's finest, with Mexican bars ranking the highest in North America in the past two editions of The World's 50 Best Bars. We can't wait to get the entire North American bar community back together for our three-day series of live events.”

Highlights for the event program in San Miguel de Allende will include the Bartenders' Feast, which takes place the night before the reveal of North America's 50 Best Bars 2023. It will be followed by the glamorous awards ceremony itself on May 4, which will feature red-carpet arrivals and interviews, a drinks reception and of course, the countdown from No.50, down to No.1.

The awards gala will again be presented by the iconic ms. franky marshall. New for this year will be a brunch event, where awards attendees will gather the day following the ceremony to share stories of success, community and reconnection.

The countdown of the list of North America's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will also be broadcast live to a global audience who are not able to attend in person. Bars and cocktail lovers are invited to join through The World's 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV channel on YouTube.

Ahead of the ceremony on Thursday, May 4, 50 Best will reveal the winners of two special awards designed to celebrate the exceptional achievements of one bar and one bartender over the past year:

● Michter's Art of Hospitality. This award is voted for by all members of the North America's 50 Best Bars Academy, who are asked to name the bar where they received the single best hospitality experience during the voting period.

● Altos Bartenders' Bartender. This award is voted for by the bartenders behind those bars on this year's list, who are asked to name one peer who has done more to further the craft of bartending than any other, with reference to their work to support the ongoing recovery of the bar sector in the wake of the pandemic.

Following the North America's 50 Best Bars celebration will be Barra México, a bar show and cocktail week which celebrates the very best in Latin American cocktail talent. Bartenders and cocktail aficionados from all over the world will be heading to San Miguel de Allende to celebrate both seminal events in the city.

Mauricio Trejo, Mayor of San Miguel de Allende, says: “We are pleased to be chosen to host North America's 50 Best Bars. For such a prominent event to pick San Miguel de Allende, is proof of our world prestige in regards to our gastronomy, bars, lifestyle and luxurious experiences. This will not only help our international image but also support our local community to thrive. We are excited and they have our full commitment to make this event a world class experience.”

What's New This Year and How the Voting Works

Beyond the new location of the awards ceremony in Mexico, some changes have been made to the voting Academy. The ranking for North America's 50 Best Bars will reflect the best bar experiences based on the votes of the Academy members, who comprise anonymous North American bar industry experts (including bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and well-traveled cocktail connoisseurs) from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2023, the Academy has been expanded to 260 members. This change was implemented to obtain a wider snapshot and ensure a greater number of diverse voices voting for the awards. Moreover, as per all 50 Best lists for restaurants, bars and hotels, 25% of Academy members are refreshed annually to keep the perspectives dynamic and relevant. Members of the 50 Best organization do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that bars cannot apply to be on the list and no sponsors have any influence on the list.

The Academy is divided into 8 regions: USA Northeast; USA Midwest; USA West; USA South; Canada East; Canada West; Mexico; and the Caribbean. Each region has its own panel of members including a chairperson, called the Academy Chair. The Chairs each then select a voting panel, ensuring a balanced selection. Each North America Academy member will vote for 7 bars, with a maximum of 5 in the home country (or state in the U.S.) where they are based. Voters also have the option to vote for a further 2 (or more) bars located outside of their home country (or U.S. state) up to a maximum of 7.

Voting is carried out individually and strictly confidentially on a secure site and remains confidential before the list announcement. Academy Chairs are not privy to, and have no knowledge of, the votes cast by the voters in their respective regions. They are neither spokespeople for the 50 Best brand.

The list will be the result of a poll of more than 260 experts (all within the North American continent), who each cast votes for the bars where they have had their 'best experience' during the last 18 months before the voting deadline. The list is a simple computation of votes by North American voters for bars in North America. Further information on the Academy Chairs and how the voting works is available on the FAQs page here.      

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Media contact:

Hanna Lee, Hanna Lee Communications

na50bb@hannaleecommunications.com, +1 646 752 1526

For media centre access, please visit:

https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/

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About North America's 50 Best Bars

Following the success of The World's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, and the establishment of Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2016, 50 Best launched North America's 50 Best Bars, with the first edition of the awards held in New York, N.Y. on June 7, 2022. It shines a much-deserved spotlight on the region as a world-class drinks' destination and acts as a mouthpiece for the outstanding talent coming through. The inaugural North America's 50 Best Bars awards ceremony and unveiling of the list provided a unique opportunity to unite bartenders, bar owners, cocktail aficionados and drinks media from all over the region at a captivating celebration of drinks, hospitality, passion and talent. North America's 50 Best Bars includes voting for bars from Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. William Reed, which owns the 50 Best brand, is entirely responsible for the organization of the awards, the voting system and the respective lists.

 About the Host Destination Partner: San Miguel de Allende

Located just 170 miles northwest of Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende earned its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2008. With more than 175,000 residents, the town shares this distinction with the most historically and culturally significant destinations in the world and is Mexico's unofficial wedding capital. Thanks to its advanced culinary and cocktail scenes, San Miguel de Allende is already beloved by in-the-know travelers. The town is also famous for its exquisitely preserved examples of 16th-century Spanish Colonial Baroque architecture, as well as iconic structures like La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, a stunning neo-Gothic cathedral. In the mid 20th-century, San Miguel de Allende became a haven for Mexican painters, which, in turn, attracted foreign artists and writers. They fell in love with its picturesque cobblestone streets, stately mansions, colorful artisanal crafts markets and cosmopolitan, bohemian lifestyle that continue to enchant travelers today.

About the Main Sponsor: Perrier

For more than a century, Perrier® has collaborated with some of the world's most influential major artists, including Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, Bernard Villemot, and Jean-Gabriel Domergue, each of whom in their own way have demonstrated a certain artistic irreverence. With a history that began in 1863 in Vergèze, in the Gard region of France, the Perrier® brand is now recognized worldwide thanks to its iconic green bottle. Appreciated in more than 140 countries, the brand is acclaimed for its natural mineral water combined with the power of its bubbles.

Partners:

• San Miguel de Allende – Official Host Destination Partner
• Perrier – Official Water Partner; sponsor of The Best Bar in North America
• Michter's – Official American Whiskey Partner; sponsor of Michter's Art of Hospitality
• Nikka Whisky – Official Whisky of the World Partner; sponsor of Nikka Highest Climber
• Ketel One – Official Vodka Partner; sponsor of Ketel One Sustainable Bar
• Siete Misterios – Official Mezcal Partner; sponsor of Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu
• The London Essence Co. – Official Mixers Partner; sponsor of London Essence Best New Opening
• Disaronno – Official Italian Liqueur Partner; sponsor of Disaronno Highest New Entry
• Roku Gin – Official Gin Partner; sponsor of Roku Industry Icon
• Altos Tequila – Official Tequila Partner; sponsor of Altos Bartenders' Bartender
• Matusalem – Official Rum Partner; sponsor of ceremonial scarves
• Naked Malt – Official Scotch Whisky Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award
• Rémy Martin – Official Cognac Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award
• Campari – Official Bitters Partner; sponsor of Campari One To Watch
• Tia Maria – Official Coffee Liqueur Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award
• Torres Brandy – Official Brandy Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award
• Scrappy's Bitters – Official Cocktail Bitters Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award
• Bareksten – Official Aquavit Partner