Manhattan at Regent Singapore is one of the top three bars in the world, according to The World's 50 Best Bars list which was released in London on Wednesday.

After breaking the top 10 of the list for the first time last year, the cocktail bar scaled four spots to place behind two London bars, namely new top-spot holder Dandelyan at Mondrian Hotel and American Bar at the Savoy Hotel.

Manhattan retains its title of Best Bar in Asia after clinching the top spot in the Asia's 50 Best Bars list for the second year running in May this year, at the inaugural awards ceremony held here.

Meanwhile, Atlas at Parkview Square also rose to the eighth spot following last year's debut at No. 15 on the list.

Other than the two bars in the top 10, Singapore leads the rankings of bars from Asia with five bars in total on the list.

They include the highest climber, Native in Amoy Street, which jumped 34 places to No. 13; Operation Dagger in Ann Siang Hill, which rose one spot to No. 23; and 28 Hongkong Street, which fell to No. 34 from last year's 25th spot.

Mr William Drew, 46, group editor of The World's 50 Best Bars, feels that Manhattan breaking into the top three "is a reflection of its stellar status and the impact (bar manager) Philip Bischoff and his team have had in recent years".

Manhattan bar at the Regent Singapore remained first on the annual ranking of Asia's 50 Best Bars.

"Singapore has accelerated rapidly to become one of the great cocktail cities of the world, with a high number of high-quality bars and a concentration of great bartending talent, both imported and, increasingly, home-grown," he adds.

He also notes the "diversity and dynamism of the drinks scene in Singapore", demonstrated by the likes of bars like Atlas and Native, which contrast drastically in style and size.

Atlas is a cavernous lobby bar which is home to an over 1,300-bottle gin collection and a classics-centric cocktail programme.

Native, located on the second floor of a shophouse, champions regional spirits and experimental, modernist cocktails.

Last year, six bars from Singapore made it to the list. Tippling Club, which saw head bartender Joe Schofield leave to pursue other projects in June, dropped out of the list to No. 58 this year.

Schofield, however, bagged the Bartenders' Bartender award for his "ground-breaking flavour developments", according to a press release from World's 50 Best organiser William Reed Business Media. He is set to open Schofield's Bar in his home town of Manchester next year with his brother Daniel.

Now in its 10th year, the annual list was announced at the Roundhouse in London. Results are voted by more than 500 drinks industry experts from around the world.

While this year's list features bars from 26 cities, Britain and the United States have the strongest showing with 10 bars each on the list.

Notably, Dandelyan, which placed at No. 2 last year and clinched the top spot this year, recently announced that it will be shutting its doors.

Announcing the decision to close the celebrated bar on Instagram on Oct 1, founder Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr Lyan, wrote: "It feels fitting on our fourth birthday to kill off our now-oldest venue."

The results also follow an announcement on Oct 2 that Singapore will be the host country for the World's 50 Best series of awards ceremonies, including the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants, starting next year.

As part of a three-year partnership between William Reed Business Media and the Singapore Tourism Board, the World's 50 Best Bars awards will also be held here in 2021, making Singapore the first city outside London to be a host destination.