Surprised The Aviary in Chicago didn't make the list.

Not quite sure about this list. I’ve been to the #9 bar, Alquímico in Cartagena, and while I recall how nice the rooftop bar portion was, the cocktail was literally forgettable.

Our friend Kate Mikkelson has been tracking the best bars for years and maintaining her own list which may be of some relevance here. We were just in Brooklyn and while we didn't make it to any of the bars on the most recent list we did go to Long Island Bar (twice) and had the best martini we've ever had, and enjoyed a great meal with excellent cocktails at Maison Premiere. Probably the best bar we've been to in recent memory was Artillery, in Savannah, but we've been lucky to visit many others, both with Chris and Kate and without, mostly in New Orleans, San Francisco, and Austin.

I would have missed my first two guesses about the location of the Cambridge Public House.

I read this list every year and tbh, it's ... not good. Three (subjective!) reasons:

1. Personal taste: I just don't enjoy the over-the-top, insta-friendly cocktails and Tom Cruise-in-Cocktail-bartender-trick vibes a lot of these places give off.
2. Public Relations: I get the sense (having covered food and drink as a "journalist" in a past life) that most of these bars are just bars that have good PR agencies or reps. There's no common thread that runs through them? I don't think?
3. They mention two bars in Mexico City, where I live, that are basically just where all the tourists go. They're popular "speakeasies". Very gimmicky!

Thanks btw to Steven in the comments above who linked to his friend Kate's list! Been checking that out. I admire the rigorous approach to relaxation :)

As a former resident of San Francisco (which has very good bars) the bars that were generally considered very, very good by those in the industry never made it on these lists.

These lists also never have bars like Drastic Measures - in downtown Shawnee, KS (a very un-hip suburb of KC) - which was nominated for a James Beard award, and makes truly excellent and inventive drinks. (They are also liberal as hell and don't give a shit about what people think about them being liberal as hell. As a resident of Kansas, and someone who is also a lefty, I appreciate this.) Great bar, highly recommended! If you go, make sure you also check out Wild Child, the low and no ABV bar next door run by the same people.

https://www.drasticbar.com

https://www.wildchildkc.com/libations

Totally different product, and vibe, but Redfield, in Oakland is also one of my favorites. If you like cider, and nice people, and excellent people watching, this is the place.
https://www.redfieldcider.com

I would love a thread of everyone else's favorite under the radar, but excellent bar!