It’s official: not only is Argentina, nay, Buenos Aires, home to the best cocktail bar in South America, it’s also home to a watering hole anointed this year’s legend. 

This is according to the World’s 50 Best Bars, whose annual rankings were revealed at a glitzy ceremony for 1,600 in Madrid in October. While there are other industry-specific lists, such as Tales of the Cocktails and Top 500 Bars, 50 Best is a benchmark for hospitality accolades thanks to an ample geographical voting spread as well as gender- and industry-balanced panels.

I write with something akin to motherly pride — as, full disclosure, 50 Best’s academy chair for South America — when I share with you that three Buenos Aires establishments and four others in the region are ranked in this year’s top 50 (and two in the top eight!). South America spells quality, not quantity — and the global industry has taken note. 

So what makes Palermo-based Tres Monos so special that by ranking seventh in the world this year it was also named the best cocktail bar in the continent? And how about Florería Atlántico, a hidden spot tucked away in a Retiro basement named “Legend of the List,” for consecutively making the cut for 11 years? And CoChinChina, which opened during the pandemic and climbed four spots to reach 22? 

Sipping a cocktail, whether it’s a vermouth and soda or a Boulevardier, isn’t a trendy new pastime. Aperitivo heritage is part of Argentina’s DNA. Whether it bears a distinctive scarlet hue, is sticky and dark brown, or homegrown with oranges at its core, we love it so much that both Fernet Branca and Campari have long produced their wares out of Buenos Aires province. 

The key to today’s “startenders” interpreting spirits and liquors is how they tap into the new generation while attracting experienced drinkers. What makes these three bars so special is their approach to drinking culture, innovation, and identity, as each serves up their own magical hospitality. (Remember, you’ll get short shrift in European capitals when it comes to reservations and time limits, taking the fun out of boozing. People have businesses to run, but I don’t return to places that rigidly adhere to drinking deadlines.)

There are dozens of local bartending legends, whose dynasty was kickstarted by Santiago ‘Pichín’ Policastro, who invented the Clarito, while ‘younger’ contemporaries include Aldo Echarri, who spent years at Microcentro’s iconic bar The New Brighton. Then there’s the (actually) young generation of sipsmiths, who despite being in their 40s and 50s, are old hands who have been stirring the scene up for two decades. 

Florería Atlántico’s Tato Giovannoni, CoChinChina’s Inés de los Santos, and Tres Monos’ Seba Atienza fall into the “old hands” category as well as being Argentina’s 50 Best leaders. They don’t merely stir, they truly have shaken up the scene and put Buenos Aires on the map.

It is Giovannoni, a publicist by official trade, who led the modern-day charge when he and business partner Aline Vargas converted a Retiro basement into a cool and cozy drinking den in 2013. He then launched the continent’s first homegrown premium gin, Príncipe de los Apóstoles, and various mixers, a pioneer who paved the way for others to aspire to — and conquer — the 50 Best circuit. Last year he took home the 50 Best’s Icon award, chosen by his peers, while this year, the bar was named Rémy Martin Legend of the List. 

For a while, De los Santos was Giovannoni’s boss at Gran Bar Danzón, a legendary watering hole that has schooled many a mixology mind. De los Santos is a female trailblazer in a male-dominated arena: a qualified sommelier with a hospitality degree, she was only allowed to serve tables at her first job in 1998. Today, she leads CoChinChina, a blissfully upscale bolthole in Palermo that also serves a paired cocktail-tasting menu upstairs at Arriba and at Kona with chef Narda Lepes, where they mutually appreciate Japanese culture. She concludes 2024 by opening two projects: the bar and boliche Costa for 450 guests on Costanera Norte and Kotchi in São Paulo. 

About to hit 40, Atienza was part of Florería’s launch crew, notching up a slew of firsts: he then opened his own project with Charly Aguinksy in 2019. Tres Monos has grown steadily since its inception, but since winning the Michter’s Art of Hospitality prize in 2023 and ranking seventh in the world in 2024, their efforts have paid off in King Kong dimensions. The cheeky three wise monkeys adage, rock soundtrack, and pink neon illuminating dark dive bar are complemented by warm and friendly service, drinks flourishing with Argentine ingredients and identity, and punny drink names such as Mi higo el doctor.

All three of our 50 Best bars prove they don’t need the resources of a five-star hotel to make a name for themselves. And that’s what makes Buenos Aires’ plethora of bars magical. Hospitality veers from upscale (Casa Cavia) to speakeasy (Harrison), Tiki (Oh! No Lulu), rooftop (Trade) and basement (Uptown), danceworthy (La Uat), sunrise seekers (BrukBar), tiny (Dimi) to immense (Costa), modern classic (Basa) and cool (Punto Mona), vinyl solutions (Mixtape), longstanding (Döppelganger) and swanky (Presidente). 

We’ve got whatever you want. 

The future is bright and diverse because, at the grassroots level, new faces are shining in competitions. Córdoba’s Fran Vaccalluzzo of The Green Light represented Argentina in the annual World Class challenge in Shanghai in September (disclosure two: I was part of Argentina’s judging panel), while Guillermina Usqueda of 878 has been runner-up numerous times, so her time is due, likewise Gonzalo Duarte of Frank’s. 

While the big names undertake guest shifts from Milan to Mexico City, the next-gen is also starting to flex its muscles beyond Argentina. Agostina Elena of Sofá-un bar judged at Colombia’s Monkey Shoulder contest, Harrison’s head bartender Victoria Erchalde guested at Lima’s El Infusionista, while Kona’s Alan Perafan has showcased in Uruguay. 

One thing is certain: Argentina is a jewel in the global bars circuit thanks to its hospitality, so let’s keep spreading the magic, monkey-shaped or otherwise.