Sawdust-strewn New York drinking den declared World's Best Bar... with London's Savoy hot on its heels

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A New York bar has knocked its London rivals off last year's top spot to be crowned the best in the world.

The Dead Rabbit, nestled in the heart of the Financial District, scooped first place on The World’s 50 Best Bars list for the first time, trumping other high-end watering holes around the globe.

There were five London bars in the top ten - including The Savoy's American Bar, which came second. The votes were cast by 476 of the leading figures of the global bar industry for Drinks International magazine.

The Dead Rabbit (pictured), nestled in the heart of the Financial District, scooped first place on The World’s 50 Best Bars list

The Dead Rabbit, which came second last year, is famed for its sawdust-strewn ground-level space that serves Wall Street traders and locals with craft beers, bottled punches and world whiskies.

Upstairs the sumptuous surroundings of the moody Parlor create a rather more restrained drinking experience, say the judges of the annual list.

Meanwhile, the judges praised the American Bar's 24-strong cocktail book as 'an ode to London', with drinks divided into the capital’s boroughs and named after their famous landmarks.

In second place was the American Bar (pictured), located in London's Savoy hotel, which was praised for its 24-strong cocktail book

In at third place was London's Dandelyan (pictured), the highest climber in the history of The World’s 50 Best Bars

Last year, the American Bar came in at number five. 

In at third place was London's Dandelyan, the highest climber in the 2016 list.

Not long open, it squeaked into the list in 2015 at 50th and this year rose 47 places to third. This is the highest climb of any bar in the history of The World’s 50 Best Bars. 

The Connaught Bar in London won fourth place on list, climbing from number nine last year; while New York's Attaboy in Manhattan's Lower East Side came in fifth, up from 11th in the 2015 list.

The top 50 list includes bars from 27 cities in 14 countries including Australia, Singapore, China, Holland, Italy, France and Spain. 

The Connaught Bar in London (pictured) won fourth place on list, climbing from number nine last year

New York's Attaboy (pictured) in Manhattan's Lower East Side came in fifth, up from 11th in the 2015 list

By region, Europe is the dominant force, this year contributing 22 bars to the 50. Its contingent comprised bars from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

North America has the second-most bars in the list, with the US contributing 14, found in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami.

This year, Asia has seen a rise. Last year it contributed five bars to the list, but this year it has seven – five of which are in the top half of the list. Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai are now home to members of The World’s 50 Best Bars.