Five Malaysian cocktail bars have been named in the Asia’s Best 50 Bars 2026 extended 51-100 list.
Kuala Lumpur outlets Reka:Bar, Penrose, Cabinet 8 KL, and Coley, as well as Penang’s Backdoor Bodega are on the extended list, which was announced ahead of the main awards ceremony in Macau on July 28.
Of the five, Cabinet 8 KL is the sole new entry on the list at No.65. Located along Jalan Sultan just a stone’s throw away from RexKL, it is a hidden bar located inside a “neighbourhood cafe” serving coffee and cocktails on tap during the day.
The main draw of its drinks is the use of local ingredients like kedondong and pineapple, procured from carefully selected farms around Malaysia.
At No.63 is Reka Bar, a self-styled ‘post-modern flavour lab’ located at Damansara Heights.
The bar, which placed at No.47 in last year’s list, specialises in unique and complex, yet clean and flavourful drinks that are created through a myriad of techniques, including infusion, clarification, distillation and more.
Following close behind at No.64 is Chinatown cocktail bar Penrose, which surprisingly drops out of the Top 50, having placed No.10 in last year’s list and No.8 in 2024.
Founded by acclaimed bartender Jon Lee, the bar prides itself on creating an intimate atmosphere that allows for engaging conversations between bartender and customer, as well as cocktails that are clean, distinctive, and classic driven.
Penang's Backdoor Bodega, which won the Asia's Best Cocktail Menu and World’s Best Cocktail Menu awards in last year’s editions, is at No.66, down from last year’s No.64 position.
It has been a regular on the list since becoming the first Penang bar to be listed in 2022.
Located in the heart of George Town, Penang, Backdoor Bodega calls itself an 'overpriced pin shop', where guests purchase lapel pins at the outlet to get a 'complimentary cocktail'.
The bar recently launched a new seasonal menu called ‘Gems Of Georgetown’ in conjunction with its 10th anniversary this year.
A convivial neighbourhood bar in Bangsar that also celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, Coley improved on last year’s No. 92 position, climbing nine spots to No. 83.
The bar has been a mainstay in the list since it made its debut on the 2019 list at No.27.
This year's 51-100 list comprises bars spanning 25 different cities across Asia, with 11 new entries, including the highest being B.O.P, which is joined by five other bars from Singapore. Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo have four bars each, while Jakarta is also proving to be a rising cocktail destination with two new entries – Between the Sips and Hats Bar.
The ranking is compiled from the votes of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy: an influential, gender-balanced group of more than 300 bartenders, bar owners, drinks journalists and cocktail experts from across the region.
The main Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022 awards ceremony will be held on July 15 in Macau, in collaboration with destination partners Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace.
The awards ceremony will be livestreamed on 50 Best's YouTube channel, starting at 8pm (Malaysian time).
Check out the full 51-100 list for Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 here.
