Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa’s Library by the Sea has been recognised as the best bar in the Caribbean and the 30th best bar in North America by the 50 Best brand.
The accolades mark the second year the bar has made the list of the 50 Best Bars in North America.
“Visiting Library by the Sea is akin to reaching book nirvana,” the ranking website said, making reference to the bar’s literary-inspired cocktail menu and its location in the Kimpton’s former library.
“In addition to the sustainable practices employed by in-house mixologists who use endemic fruits and botanicals from the ocean, Library by the Sea has access to the resort’s stock of wines, liqueurs and vintage spirits that are impossible to find elsewhere in the island.”
Beverage manager Jim Wrigley, who launched the bar alongside Andrew Copsey in 2022, designed the cocktail menu, including the top-shelf E. Hemingway Special made with 1930s Bacardi rum, 1930s Maraska maraschino, lime and grapefruit; and the gin-based ‘B612, for Consuelo’ dedicated to the asteroid from The Little Prince.
“Having the 50 Best Bars Academy recognise Library by the Sea for the second year in a row is an incredible honor,” Wrigley said in a press release.“Our love for this industry is evident through everything we do at Library by the Sea, and we’re incredibly grateful for the increased awareness of the remarkable cocktail experiences in Grand Cayman.”
The venture has recruited bartending talent from some of the best bars in the world, including The Connaught, Paradiso, Lyaness and Dandelyan.
The 50 Best Bars ranking is based on the input of 270 anonymous voters, “including bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and well-travelled cocktail connoisseurs from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean”, the organisation said.
The Library by the Sea also recently won the 2024 London Essence Best New Opening Award. In addition, at the Forbes Travel Summit in Monaco in February, the bar was showcased as an example of creative innovation in the travel-and-luxury space by Kimpton Seafire and Dart.
Forbes Travel Guide CEO Herman Elgar said, “Dart exemplifies what it means to be an engaged and forward-thinking owner, providing the support and resources needed for their hotels to thrive in an increasingly competitive luxury landscape.”
Kimpton Seafire is one of three resorts owned by Dart that received the Forbes Five-Star Award along with The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla. At the summit, Forbes Travel Guide recognised Dart as ‘Ownership Group of the Year’.
Dart director Jackie Doak said, “Kimpton Seafire was Dart’s first hospitality project. From its opening in 2016 and to this latest recognition of the Library by the Sea experience, Seafire has embodied Ken Dart’s long-term commitment to investment in exceptional places and experiences.”
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