A Belfast bar is one of only 20 in the world to be added to a prestigious list of top cocktail bars.
The Cocktail Bar in Belfast’s famous Merchant Hotel has been rated as ‘outstanding’ making it the first and only bar in Northern Ireland to be awarded a coveted ‘2 pin’ status by the Pinnacle Guide.
This is the latest award in a burgeoning trophy cabinet for The Merchant. Over the last 18 years, the hotel has accumulated over 150 accolades, including its coveted AA Five Red Star Rating, Five Star Hotel Bar of the Year at the Bar of The Year Awards, and World’s Best Cocktail Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Awards, cementing its reputation as not only one of the best hotels in Ireland but across the world.
Launched earlier this year by the founders of London Cocktail Week, the Pinnacle Guide is described as the ‘Michelin guide for bars’ aiming to promote the best cocktail venues across the world and highlighting those that are ‘leading cocktail culture in their communities.’
Using a categorisation system known as ‘pins’, the Pinnacle Guide rates and ranks the cocktail bars lucky enough to have made the list using a strict set of criteria.
Venues awarded ‘one pin’ receive an ‘excellent rating’, ‘two pins’ means ‘outstanding’ and the maximum ‘three pins’ is presented to venues deemed ‘exceptional’ by contest judges.
It is a huge accomplishment for The Cocktail Bar to be selected from hundreds of applications that were received from across Australia, Dubai, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the US. The pins were gained if a bar’s application met the Pinnacle Guide’s strict criteria and then demonstrated similarly high standards during anonymous visits.
The Merchant Cocktail Bar can now display its pinned status for two years – until October 2026 – and will receive a plaque to display and lapel pins for the team to wear as a symbol of the accolade.
This is the second Pinnacle Guide nod for Northern Ireland’s leading hospitality group Beannchor, as Rattlebag, the cocktail bar located within Belfast’s Bullitt hotel, was awarded an ‘excellent’ rating or ‘1 pin’ status in the inaugural Pinnacle Guide announcement earlier this year.
Merchant Cocktail Bar manager, Aaron Dugan, said: “It’s wonderful to receive this recognition from the Pinnacle Guide. We are committed to continually providing our customers with a first-class cocktail experience and for this to be recognised on a global scale is a career highlight.
“The Pinnacle Guide is quickly becoming the professional yardstick for our industry and to be awarded the outstanding 2 pin accolade is testament to the hard work and commitment shown by every single member of our team.”
The Cocktail Bar at The Merchant serves a considered selection of timeless classic cocktails and innovative Merchant originals, alongside an impeccable selection of exceptional drinks from rare spirits to vintage champagnes.