Asia Pacific bars to visit in 2019

Asia Pacific has become a hotbed of cocktail creativity with many exciting bars opening or cementing their reputation in the region. Sam Bygrave highlights the ones not to miss next year.

The Odd Couple in Shanghai has been named one of our bars to watch in 2019. Photo courtesy: drinkmagazine.asia

There’s a lot of talk about the global economy being in trouble: there’s Brexit affecting the old order in the UK and Europe, and an inward­-looking turn accelerating in the US, meaning the prospects of a full­-blown trade war with China are increasing every day. It’s almost cause for despair.

But not for everyone. As they say, in good times or bad, the bar business is one you want to be in. And there’s good reason the on-­trade in Asia Pacific is looking better than ever.

Some estimates suggest that nine-­tenths of global GDP growth in the next few years will come from countries such as China – and the bars are following the money.

Well-­known names are heading east to launch their ventures, while established venues are not resting on their laurels, with a plethora of new menus, concepts and designs planned for 2019.