CLASS magazine announced its highly anticipated CLASS Bar Awards 2026 tonight (May 6). Having debuted in 2003, the CLASS Bar Awards is the longest-running UK bar industry celebration.

---

Satan’s Whiskers in London took the big bar award of the night, winning Bar of the Year sponsored by Savoia and taking the regional accolade: Best Bar in London & the South East sponsored by Sagamore Spirit. Kevin Armstrong’s Bethnal Green bar brings intimate low-lighting, industry-benchmark classic cocktails and a hip-hop soundtrack – it’s a bar that masters the fundamentals of the bar experience.

Bartender of the Year sponsored by St Germain went to Gento Torigata, who has brought authentic Japanese bartending to the capital at his venue Waltz in Shoreditch. The New Bar of the Year sponsored by Iichiko – and the only Japanese-owned cocktail bar in London - is straight out of the Tokyo playbook. A place of calm, where a bar-side view of Torigata’s Highball ritual or the making of the bar’s signature Matcha Old Fashioned is entertainment in and of itself.

Across the River Thames on the Southbank, is where you’ll find this year’s Cocktail of the Year: the Unfiltered Martini at Lyaness at Sea Containers London. The cocktail sees mashed Maris Piper potato sous vide with enzymes and bacteria for four hours, before being filtered and batched with Boatyard vodka. Of all the cocktails served across the country in 2026– it was Lyaness’ madcap Martini that received the most votes. Ryan Chetiyawardana and Alex Lawrence’s modernist riverside hotel bar also took the title of Hotel Bar of the Year sponsored by Moët & Chandon. Long London’s bastion of innovation, Lyaness’ former incarnate Dandelyan won this award in 2017. The bar’s Lucy Thomas also wins Front of House Star of the Year sponsored by The Reid Vodka, making it three gongs for Lyaness - the most of any bar this year.

It was a strong year for London’s hotel bars, with Bar Manager of the Year sponsored by Italicus going to Sotiris Konomi at The Spy Bar at Raffles London at The OWO. The Greek bar manager has emerged as a new leader of the London scene in recent years, combining creativity, graft and business acumen to make Raffles London a must-see luxury destination. Not far away in Covent Garden, Nomad London too picked up gongs. Its flagship bar Side Hustle won Bar Food Menu of the Year sponsored by Small Beer Co, for its delicious take on Southern Californian food which pairs perfectly with the bar’s agave-forward cocktails. Not least those made by Mathilde Rouge, whose drinks-making and leadership skills have led to her to the role of Bar Supervisor in just four years – and the Emerging Bartender of the Year sponsored by Les Vergers Boiron.

Drinks Menu of the Year sponsored by Schweppes meanwhile went to Couch’s latest menu - The Pub – which the Class judging panel considered to offer a genuinely fresh approach to a drinks list with raw, honest and self-deprecating photography, bold design and clear and digestible content – all in keeping with the bar’s approachable vibe. Couch is a neighbourhood bar with a nationwide reputation – it once again took home the prize of Best Bar in the Midlands.

It was a repeat win in the Best Bar in Scotland sponsored by Royal Mile Whiskies category too with Panda & Sons once again impressing voters by the bar’s warm hospitality, vintage vibes and innovative sub-zero flavour creation techniques. Owner Iain McPherson is world famous for his cocktail-making innovations – his latest being his densing technique - while back home, he’s behind the Edinburgh Bar Show and Panda & Sons’ Highland Games, all of which helped to make him the Bar Innovator of the Year sponsored by Paragon for the fourth year running.

The Best Bar in Northern Ireland category was competed by four Belfast venues and winning out for the second year running is Rattlebag. Part of the Bullitt hotel, this smart, red-hued bar with modern technique-driven cocktails is the bartenders’ favourite in Northern Ireland.

Schofield’s Bar was once again the choice of the CLASS Collective, taking the Best Bar in the North sponsored by Beesou Honey Aperitif. Launched in 2021, Schofield’s Bar has a timeless feel, with Joe and Daniel Schofield’s wood-panelled Sunlight House venue combining the best of a hotel bar - classical drinks, décor and white-coated bartenders – with the informal vibes of a pub.

Meanwhile the Best Bar in Wales went to Tani Hasa’s Lab 22. This Cardiff bar puts the focus on Wales, from its local ingredients to the people that produce them and the local community that frequent the bar. With warm, friendly hospitality and some of the best drinks in the UK, Lab has become one of the best-known bars in the UK. Across the border in Bath, Hideout took the award for Best Bar in the West. Hidden in the city’s historic lanes, this stonewalled, wood-laden bar does three things – uncomplicated but delicious cocktails, whisky and hip-hop – exceedingly well.

The new Bar Business of the Year award – launched to reflect those businesses that are thriving despite a challenging trading landscape – went to GSG Hospitality, based in the North West. John Ennis, Nick Thomas and Matt Farrell’s GSG is an indie business with a prolific output over two decades. Bars such as 81, Salt Dog Slims, Manolo and MDNT are just some of their near-20 venues.

The Sustainability and Community Impact Award sponsored by Avallen Calvados this year went to Kiki Lounge from Douglas. Through their quest to become more self-sufficient on their Isle of Man location, Kiki’s has proved that planet and community-positive practices don't have to be at odds with profitability.

Winning the Outstanding Contribution award is industry polymath, Claire Warner. Having worked behind the bar, for a large spirits group with global brands and helped pioneer the non-alc spirits movement, her focus has more recently redoubled on wellness and the intersection of social health and hospitality, helping the industry and policy makers better understand bars’ essential role in human connection.

Hamish Smith editor of CLASS and co-host of the CLASS Bar Awards, said: “Despite the acute challenges facing bars in the UK, our industry still creates businesses that find a way to put their best foot forward, delivering vibrant bar experiences and celebrating the craft of the cocktail.

“This year our winners came from all corners of the country, revealing the world-leading strength and depth of the bar industry in the UK and underlining the significant role that bars play in the nation’s nightlife.

“London took home half of the awards tonight. Be it its five-star hotel bars or independents, our capital continues to relentlessly reinvent itself, growing its stable of bars year on year, always looking forward to what’s new and next.”

---

The CLASS Bar Awards finalists 2026

Bar Awards

Bar Business of the Year

(W) GSG Hospitality, Liverpool

Couch, Birmingham

Nine Lives, London

Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

Sustainability and Community Impact Award sponsored by Avallen

(W) Kiki Lounge, Douglas

Below Stairs, Leeds

Lab 22, Cardiff

Tbc*, Chester

Drinks Menu of the Year sponsored by Schweppes

(W) Couch, Birmingham

Martini Bar at Hawksmoor St Pancras, London

Artesian, The Langham, London

Kiki Lounge, Douglas

Cocktail of the Year

(W) Unfiltered Martini, Lyaness, London

Porridge Colada, Nauticus, Edinburgh

Puntin' Pastries, Daddy Marmalades, Glasgow

Yuzu Margarita, Hey Palu, Edinburgh

Bar Food Menu of the Year sponsored by Small Beer Co

(W) Side Hustle, Nomad, London

Dogstar, Edinburgh

Hey Palu, Edinburgh

Three Sheets Soho, London

Hotel Bar of the Year sponsored by Moët & Chandon

(W) Lyaness, Sea Containers, London

Connaught Bar, The Connaught, London

Scarfes Bar, Rosewood, London

Side Hustle, Nomad, London

New Bar of the Year sponsored by Iichiko

(W) Waltz, London

Same Again, Bristol

Slowpour, Liverpool

The Morris, Manchester

Best Bar in Wales

(W) Lab 22, Cardiff

Lowkey, Cardiff

Nightshade, Cardiff

Penny, Cardiff

Best Bar in the West

(W) Hideout, Bath

Filthy XIII, Bristol

HMSS, Bristol

Same Again, Bristol

Best Bar in the Midlands

(W) Couch, Birmingham

Loose Ends, Nottingham

Lucky 7, Birmingham

400 Rabbits, Nottingham

Best Bar in Scotland sponsored by Royal Mile Whiskies

(W) Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

Daddy Marmalades, Glasgow

Hey Palu, Edinburgh

Nauticus, Edinburgh

Best Bar in Northern Ireland

(W) Rattlebag, Belfast

Berts Jazz Bar, The Merchant, Belfast

The Cocktail Bar, The Merchant, Belfast

The Garrick, Belfast

Best Bar in London & the South East sponsored by Sagamore Spirit

(W) Satan's Whiskers, London

Lyaness, London

Three Sheets Soho, London

Waltz, London

Best Bar in the North sponsored by Beesou Honey Aperitif

(W) Schofield's, Manchester

Bar Glue, Liverpool

Blinker, Manchester

Speak in Code, Manchester

Bar of The Year sponsored by Savoia

(W) Satan's Whiskers, London

Rattlebag, Belfast

Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

Couch, Birmingham

Hideout, Bath

Lab 22, Cardiff

Schofield's, Manchester

Individual Awards

Front of House Star of the Year sponsored by The Reid Vodka

(W) Lucy Thomas, Lyaness, Sea Containers, London

Andy Galloway, Hey Palu, Edinburgh

Benedetta Paris, Happiness Forgets, London

Chloe Yeung, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

Emerging Bartender of the Year sponsored by Les Vergers Boiron

(W) Mathilde Rouge, Side Hustle, Nomad, London

Chloe Southam, The Royal Cocktail Exchange, London

Jelena Bulatovskaja, Sexy Fish, London

Liza Kholodna Schofield's Bar, Manchester

Bartender of the Year sponsored by St Germain

(W) Gento Torigata, Waltz, London

Katie Rouse, Couch, Birmingham

Matt Smith, Brain Jar, Hull

Nathan Price, Bar Glue, Liverpool

Bar Innovator(s) of the Year sponsored by Paragon

(W) Iain McPherson, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

Katie Rouse & Jacob Clarke, Couch, Birmingham

Monica Berg & Alex Kratena, Tayēr + Elementary, London

Ryan Chetiyawardana, Mr Lyan, London

Bar Manager of the Year sponsored by Italicus

(W) Sotiris Konomi, The Spy Bar at Raffles London at The OWO, London

Andrea Gardiner, The American Bar, Gleneagles, Auchterarder

Christopher Wareing, Rattlebag, Belfast

Nicky Craig, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

Outstanding Contribution Award sponsored by Fords Gin

(W) Claire Warner, London