The world’s best bars to receive Michelin-style 3-star rating system

Published: 24 February, 2022

A brand new recognition system for the world’s best bars has been announced – set to become one of the bar industry’s most respected accolades of excellence.

The Pinnacle Guide begins its road to launch with an innovative, industry-first, six-month consultancy phase, with all members of the global drinks trade invited to shape how excellence in bars is measured and rewarded.

The restaurant industry has long enjoyed the benefits of a globally recognised 1, 2 and 3-star rating system in The Michelin Guide, which has entered the vernacular as a symbol of excellence and hugely impacted the visibility and appreciation of fine dining. Within the drinks industry, however, the equivalent does not yet exist.

The people behind The Pinnacle Guide are three of the leading faces of the global bar scene – Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne, the co-founders of London Cocktail Week, alongside Dan Dove, the owner and operator of Global Bartending.

Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne said: “We truly believe that the creation of such a system will help advance the interests of the bar industry and bring luxury drinking experiences to a wider consumer audience.”

The Pinnacle Guide is designed to sit seamlessly alongside all existing bar recognition and ranking systems. It will have no limit on the number of bars that can receive 1, 2 or 3 PINs and will reward excellence based on factual, impartial information.

Bars will be graded by anonymous, local reviewers within a clear set of published parameters that, once finalised, will be used consistently across the globe.

Through the innovative analysis required to award a PIN, The Pinnacle Guide will offer a unique opportunity to elevate the entire industry through insight.

There will be a series of fortnightly open forums and panel discussions to finalise the format,alongside one-on-one video calls. Anyone with an opinion is welcome to have their say and anyone with an interest is welcome to watch the discussions.

The full schedule and links to sign up to these sessions will be available at: thepinnacleguide.com/bepartoftheprocess

Following the six month Consultancy Phase, the final criteria and reviewer training programmes will be formalised, with bar reviews starting and the first PIN announced in 2023. The Pinnacle Guide will be awarding PINS within eight key markets in 2023 with the ambition to expand to 50 wider markets by 2025.

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