SINGAPORE – Three local cocktail bars have been named in the first edition of The Pinnacle Guide, a new recognition system for the world’s top bars.

In the inaugural Singapore edition of the guide, Ballroom by Barbary Coast in North Canal Road received one “pin”, while Origin Bar at Shangri-La Singapore and Atlas at Parkview Square each received two pins.

Bars that make the cut are awarded one, two or three pins in the rolling guide. The pins are similar to star ratings and indicate a rating of “excellent”, “outstanding” or “exceptional” respectively. 

Evaluations are based not only on drinks and service, but also on parameters such as sustainability in operations, staff diversity and efforts to encourage responsible drinking. 

Ballroom by Barbary Coast takes inspiration from the San Francisco of the Gold Rush era in the mid-1800s, while Origin Bar has built a reputation for inventive cocktails imbued with an element of theatricality. 

Atlas celebrates Jazz Age glamour and Art Deco luxury, and is notable for making the World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars rankings several times, including at No. 43 and No. 27 respectively in 2023.

Origin Bar was praised by The Pinnacle Guide team for being “‘a home away from home’ with warm hospitality and playful drinks” while Atlas was lauded as a “visually spectacular” venue serving up “elevated classics”. 

While comparisons with the well-known World’s Best Bars rankings are inevitable, The Pinnacle Guide is different.

There is no fixed number of bars that can make the guide, and bars will be added to it on a rolling basis rather than once a year. Also, bars must be self-nominated for inclusion in the guide.

Singapore is one of seven markets where The Pinnacle Guide launched simultaneously on May 1 – the others being Australia, Dubai, Mexico, Spain, Britain and the United States.

The guide’s three British founders are industry veterans. Ms Hannah Sharman-Cox and Ms Siobhan Payne have run London Cocktail Week since its inception in 2010, while Mr Dan Dove’s experience includes a decade at British spirits giant Diageo. 

Mr Dove, 38, says in an interview with The Straits Times: “We very much respect existing award systems, and we really believe that what we’ve developed will add to the ecosystem of recognition in the bar industry and sit alongside them comfortably.”

“The only way to get a pin is to apply yourselves. Each bar is in the driving seat and every bar that applied has been given in-depth feedback on its application – whether it was successful or not – on how to improve its chances to get a pin next time, or how to get to the next level if it did receive one,” he adds.

The self-nomination process is intentionally rigorous to act as a “first level” of applicant filtering. For instance, bars lacking at least two non-alcoholic cocktails will be immediately disqualified. 

“For the bars, we’re hoping this can also be a self-reflection exercise on how they can always be improving,” says Ms Sharman-Cox, 43. “Our applicants need to really be committed in order to take the time to fill it out and participate in the process.”

According to the team, hundreds of these self-nominations were received in total across the seven markets.

The initial submission is followed by a short video interview and an assessment by a panel of at least two anonymous reviewers. Physical visits to the bars are required for this final assessment, which is scored based on an established rubric put in place by The Pinnacle Guide’s team.

The team also moderates the final assessments to ensure that marks are applied appropriately and consistently. 

The anonymous reviewers – there are more than 50 across all markets – include local drinks experts and enthusiasts, all of whom passed a training course and selection test to make the final cut. 

“We have no professional prerequisites to become a reviewer, but we sought out people who have a passion for great cocktail bars, as well as an understanding of hospitality and strong observational skills,” says Ms Sharman-Cox.

The Pinnacle Guide team will continue to accept reviewer applications from drinks connoisseurs – even those who drink only low- or no-alcohol beverages – local to each of the seven markets. 

These launch markets will be joined by new locales in the future. 

“Our initial markets were informed by our consultancy phase, when we spoke with industry experts,” says Ms Payne, 36. “Singapore has had such a pivotal role in the growth of the industry globally and is at the forefront of a lot of the exciting trends, so it was a very easy and natural choice.”

Besides Singapore’s three “pinned” bars, another 34 international bars made the cut in this first round across the other six markets. More are expected over the rest of 2024 and applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis.

Ms Payne says the team encourages bars which may not have made it to the review stage to re-apply.

“We hope to see applications increase as more bars learn about The Pinnacle Guide,” she says.

The deadline for the next round of submissions is May 31. Find out more about the guide – including the inaugural lists for the other markets – at thepinnacleguide.com