An Australian fan-favourite cocktail venue has beaten top establishments in New York, Tokyo and Madrid to be named among the top 50 bars in the world.

Caretaker’s Cottage, in the heart of central Melbourne, continued its reign as the best bar in Australasia, ranked 45 in the annual list unveiled in Milan on Thursday (local time).

It is the only Australian entry in the list voted on by more than 800 bartenders, drinks writers and cocktail specialists from around the world. Co-owner Ryan Noreiks said its inclusion for the third straight year came amid an industry shake-up.

“Australia has its work cut out for it being quite far away from the rest of the world in regards to competition, but we’re so pumped – to even just be recognised is incredible,” he said.

Ryan Noreiks (centre) with co-owners Matt Stirling and Rob Libecans. Photo: The 50 Best

Noreiks and former hospitality colleagues Matt Stirling and Rob Libecans swung open the doors to the converted church caretakers’ quarters in 2022, with the goal of preserving the heritage site’s historic homely feel while showcasing Melbourne’s rich pub culture.

Sinking pints of tap Guinness on the Caretaker’s Cottage lawn and indulging in a knock-off tipple with colleagues in the 50-square-metre blue-brickstone building has since become an established practice for the city’s hospitality workforce and white-collar workers.

“It’s one of only a couple of green areas in the Melbourne CBD area so it’s got a really nice, peaceful vibe to it,” Noreiks said.

“Our core offerings – vinyl music, Guinness and martinis – are very old, analogue offerings, but everything else around it is quite contrasting.”

The old church has been reborn as an old-school bar. Photo: The 50 Best

The trio’s sister venue Three Horses nabbed the One to Watch gong in the same awards. The title goes to the bar most likely to break into the top global 50 next year.

The awards came as cocktail bars across Melbourne battled with restaurants and pubs for business, Noreikis said.

“I feel, personally, that the market is shifting right now,” he said.
“It still feels like Melbourne CBD hasn’t really recovered from Covid; a lot of bars moved out to the suburbs.”

Hong Kong’s Bar Leone retained its crown of The World’s Best Bar for the second year running, beating Milan’s Moebius Milano for the top spot in the Perrier-sponsored list.

Rounding out the top five were Alquímico in the historic Colombian city of Cartagena, Bar Us in Bangkok and Line Athens in Athens.

This year’s full top-50 list featured bars from 26 cities, with 14 new entries.

-AAP