Six Singapore bars have made it onto the 2017 edition of The World's 50 Best Bars list, which was announced in London on Thursday evening. This is the strongest showing by bars here since the list was launched nine years ago.

Established cocktail bar Manhattan at Regent Hotel Singapore moved up four spots from No. 11 to No. 7 and retained its position as the Best Bar in Asia. Earlier this year, it clinched the top spot on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list.

The results were voted in by more than 500 drinks industry experts from 55 countries.

Atlas, located at Parkview Square, made its debut at No. 15 and was the highest-placed new entry. The lobby bar, which opened at the beginning of this year, is known for its opulent Art Deco interiors and a collection of more than 1,000 types of gin.

Also new on the list was Amoy Street bar Native at No. 47. It focuses on regionally sourced spirits and foraged ingredients. The bar had already received a number of accolades since it opened earlier this year. It clinched the No. 20 spot on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list and, at the home-grown Bar Awards in June, snagged the awards for Most Creative Cocktail Bar and Bartender of the Year for its head bartender Vijay Mudaliar.

Other Singapore bars on the list included Operation Dagger at No. 24, which dropped three places; and 28 Hongkong Street, which fell 11 spots to No. 25.

Tippling Club, headed by Briton Joe Schofield, re-entered the list this year at No. 31. The last time the bar was on the list was in 2013, when it placed at No. 45.

Mr William Drew, 45, group editor of The World's 50 Best Bars, said Singapore's showing on the list is "reflective of the growth in quality, diversity, innovation and buzz in the bar scene" here.

"It is one of the most exciting cities in the world now for cocktail lovers and I think any discerning drinker who has visited Singapore in the last couple of years would not be surprised by these results," he said. "The food and drinks scenes are burgeoning hand in hand and feeding off each other to make for a thrilling destination."

He added that Singapore "sits in the top tier of the global cocktail scene, fast catching up with the big beasts of London and New York".

Clinching the No. 1 spot was American Bar at The Savoy Hotel in London. Dandelyan at Mondrian hotel, also in London, was No. 2. Both climbed one spot from last year. Last year's top bar, The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog in New York, fell to the fifth spot.

New York's The NoMad climbed five spots to take third place.

Manhattan's bar manager Philip Bischoff, 35, who was in London to accept the award with head bartender Cedric Mendoza, 27, said: "I think a large part (of why we climbed the list) is that we've remained consistent in what we do, while improving on how we do it and introducing new experiences such as the new menu and the American Whiskey Embassy programme."

Atlas head bartender Roman Foltan, 26, who was also in London, said he and his colleagues never expected to come in so high on the list. "Each person in the team is to be thanked for working so hard to create the best guest experience possible every single day. We are so grateful and humbled to be recognised by peers in the industry."

Asian bars had strong representation on the list this year, with 12 bars in total from Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

The annual list is in its ninth year and is now released by William Reed Business Media, which also organises The World's 50 Best Restaurants and Asia's 50 Best Restaurants lists. It takes over this year from London-based Drinks International magazine, which is its trade media partner for The World's 50 Best Bars.