{"id":73364,"date":"2026-08-01T11:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T03:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=73364"},"modified":"2026-08-01T11:05:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T03:05:01","slug":"how-hope-sesame-is-leading-mainland-chinas-rise-on-asias-50-best-bars-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=73364","title":{"rendered":"How Hope & Sesame is leading mainland China\u2019s rise on Asia\u2019s 50 Best Bars list"},"content":{"rendered":"


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As Asia\u2019s 50 Best Bars counted down the rankings at Wynn Palace in Macau on Tuesday, Hope & Sesame took home top honours, marking the first time a bar from mainland China topped the list, and ending a five-year stretch where just Hong Kong\u2019s Coa or Bar Leone<\/span> claimed the crown.<\/div>\n

The Guangzhou bar (which also has a location in Shenzhen) leads something of a changing of the guard. Mainland Chinese representation has ballooned from three bars last year \u2013 Hope & Sesame, MO Bar Shenzhen and CMYK in Changsha \u2013 to seven among Asia\u2019s 50 Best Bars this year, plus three more on Asia\u2019s 51-100 extended list. Hong Kong is still one of the most represented territories \u2013 but only just, with eight venues on Asia\u2019s 50 Best Bars and three on the extended list.<\/p>\n

When we last considered the mixology scene in mainland China<\/span>, it seemed that despite being one of the world\u2019s leading drinks markets, the country struggled primarily with outreach and exposure for its home-grown talent. Now, bars across the map \u2013 including debuts from Shenzhen\u2019s Obsidian at 10th, Shanghai\u2019s Pony Up at 19th and Beijing\u2019s Tiao at 50th \u2013 have made the list, ensuring their status as starting points for international travellers.<\/div>\n
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Outside Guangzhou\u2019s Hope & Sesame, which topped the 2026 Asia\u2019s 50 Best Bars list. Photo: Handout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cIf you go to any country, the driving force of cocktail drinking is the travellers,\u201d says Ethan Liu, co-founder of CMYK. As Beijing, Shanghai and other tier-one cities draw international clientele, the domestic crowd turns to other corners of the country, such as Changsha, in search of something more homely and local<\/span>.<\/div>\n

Liu estimates that 90 per cent of his guests are in their early twenties and late thirties, with many travelling from first-tier cities and finding their way to CMYK through resources such as RedNote. Most of these guests \u2013 70 to 80 per cent \u2013 are female and are looking for cocktails rather than baijiu.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they go out, you don\u2019t see four or five girls get together, open a bottle of baijiu,\u201d he says, noting that baijiu is more of a dinner and occasion drink. \u201cThey want to have some fun, try different flavours, take pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/div>
The interior of Changsha cocktail bar CMYK. Photo: Handout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The data seems to support Liu\u2019s numbers. The International Wine and Spirits Record is seeing a shift in demand towards hospitality and \u201con-trade\u201d consumption at bars and bistros. Baijiu sales have fallen, while spirits and ready-to-drink mixes are on the rise as younger drinkers embrace casual drinking and older drinkers become more selective about what they buy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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