The Curator reopens today after 50 Best Bars win

IT’S not every day that you get named The Best Bar in the country, not to mention being named one of the best in Asia. The Curator in Legazpi Village climbed up from its No. 62 spot last year in Asia’s 100 Best Bars, claiming the No. 34 spot in Asia’s 50 Best Bars this year, making it the country’s top bar.

That’s why this week, The Curator’s Instagram account posted that they’re closing for three days for their annual team building activity. “We’re going to take a few days off to celebrate wins, challenge each other to grow, and come back to keep doing our best.” The bar reopens today, July 27.

Another Manila bar, Shangri-La at the Fort’s The Back Room, made it to the 100 Best list at No. 75. It made its debut in 2019 at No. 50, just a year after opening.

The awards were given last week in a ceremony in Hong Kong.

The Curator’s co-founder David Ong said in an Instagram post, “We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to @50 bestbars as well as our peers, colleagues, and regulars turned family for this wonderful achievement! We would not be here if it were not for you all — you guys are amazing.

“The last few years have been tough for the food and beverage industry in the Philippines, and so this really means a lot to us. Having said that, we speak for everyone when we say, ‘Kumain ka na ba? Tagay hanggang mamatay (Have you eaten? Drink until you die [a toast])’. Please come to the Philippines, we cannot wait to host you.”

This year’s top spot on the list was taken, for the third time running, by Hong Kong’s Coa. “This year, Khan’s Coa accomplishes a feat unmatched in the history of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, as it is the first-ever bar to be thrice-awarded the coveted No. 1 position,” said the Asia’s 50 Best Bars website. Coa’s owner-bartender Jay Khan won the Bartenders’ Bartender Award in 2020.

The bar pays homage to agave spirits, making its name (a tool used for harvesting the plant) appropriate. “Within the candle-lit, industrial-style space, spirit enthusiasts pop in for rare-varietal mezcal and other unsung agave-based liquors, plus signature cocktails such as the grapefruit-spiked mezcal and tequila blend, La Paloma de Oaxaca, which is the only cocktail that has been on the list since the bar opened. Other newer creations, such as the Ancho Highball (tequila, salted plum, ancho chile, and guava soda), expand Khan’s love of agave into an all-out homage to the Mexican larder,” said the Asia’s 50 Best Bars website. — Joseph L. Garcia