Dandelyan triumphs as London sweeps the board at Class Bar Awards

The capital has proven its cocktail might by winning every award going at last night’s prestigious Class Bar Awards 2017.

Run by the team behind World’s 50 Best Bars, the awards celebrate the best of the UK bar scene and are judged by industry experts from across the country.

The biggest winner of the night was Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Bankside bar Dandelyan, which scooped four top awards including bar of the year and hotel bar of the year.

Among others it saw off competition from Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green and Bramble in Edinburgh as well as London stalwarts The Connaught Bar and The American Bar at The Savoy to claim these honours.

It also won drinks menu of the year for its Modern Botany 3rd Edition list, and Dandelyan’s Aidan Bowie was named bartender of the year.

The award for new bar of the year went to Swift in Soho, from London bartending favourites Bobby and Mia Hiddlestone and the team behind Nightjar.

Also in Soho, the Negroni Robusto from Tony Conigliaro’s Bar Termini was named cocktail of the year.

Black Rock in Spitalfields, which focuses on whisky, won specialist bar of the year, while restaurant bar of the year went to Hawksmoor Spitalfields, beating The Blind Pig at Social Eating House.

Bar food menu of the year was won by Oriole in Smithfield, also from the Nightjar stable.

Read all the latest restaurant and bar news and reviews

The night’s lifetime achievement award went to Jake Burger, who is behind Portobello Road Gin and the Portobello Star.

The so-called ‘class collective' who voted for the winners featured 85 bar experts from 20 cities across the UK, 70% of whom are based outside of London.