Malaysia’s cocktail scene enjoyed one of its best showings on the annual Asia's 50 Best Bars list, as four bars made it into the Top 50, with one bar in the Top 10.
Petaling Street cocktail bar Penrose retained its title as the Best Bar In Malaysia, ranking No.10 this year, dropping just two spots from its No.8 placing in last year's list.
Bangsar bar Three X Co made a stunning return into the Top 50 at No.15, its best placing on the list since making its debut at No.47 in 2021.
Two other Kuala Lumpur bars were also listed – Bar Trigona (No.39) and Reka:Bar (No.47).
The tenth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, was announced at a live awards ceremony in Macau on July 15, in collaboration with destination partners Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace.
Penang bar Backdoor Bodega pulled off a surprise when it won the Best Cocktail Menu Award 2025 for its ‘The Backdoor Bodega Guide to Penang’ menu, which "surpasses the traditional drinks list idea to create an all-singing celebration of its unique locality".
While it didn't make it into the Top 50, Backdoor Bodega did place No.64 on the extended 51-100 list which was announced last week, together with Bangsar favourite Coley at No.92.
This year's list featured bars from 20 cities across Asia, including 20 new entries.
Hong Kong's Bar Leone was crowned The Best Bar in Asia for the second year running, with Seoul's Zest at No.2 and Singapore's Jigger And Pony at No.3, an exact repeat of last year's Top 3.
Chinese bartender Andrew Ho of Guangzhou’s Hope & Sesame won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2024 for his role in elevating Mainland China’s drinks scene to new heights.
The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list is voted upon by a region-wide Academy comprising a gender-balanced group of bartenders, bar owners, drinks writers and cocktail aficionados, all of whom place independent and anonymous votes for what they believe constitutes a “best bar experience”.
By maintaining its Top 10 position, Penrose continues to fly the flag for Malaysian hospitality, with its on functionalism and simplicity, while providing an intimate atmosphere that allows for engaging conversations between bartender and customer.
Founder Jon Lee and his team recently opened a new outlet called Lavantha, also located around the city centre.
The big Malaysian story of this year's list is the reentry of Three X Co at its highest ever position, at No.15.
Located in Bangsar Shopping Centre, the bar been one of mainstays in the KL bar scene since it was founded in 2017.
It made its debut at No. 47 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list in 2021, and this year, it stormed back into the Top 50 on the back of a strong cocktail programme by Head Bartender Amanda Wan, and a reputation of being one of the most hospitable bars in town.
At No.39, Bar Trigona continued its strong presence on the list for the sixth year running.
Located at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, the bar was the first Malaysian bar to make it on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2020.
With head bartender Darwin Ng at the helm, the bar sets the standard for sustainable bar practices by focusing on Malaysian produce.
The bar is currently celebrating its seventh anniversary with a look back at some of the best cocktails it has created over the last seven year.
Reka Bar, which had broken into the Top 50 last year the first time at No. 41, placed at No.47 this time around.
A self-styled ‘post-modern flavour lab’ located at Damansara Heights, the bar is like a cross between a chill out lounge club and a space-age laboratory.
Led by head bartender Joel Poon, the bar team creates unique and complex, yet clean and flavourful drinks through a myriad of techniques, including infusion, clarification, distillation and more.
