Hope & Sesame in Guanzhou, China | Photo courtesy of Asia’s 50 Best Bars
Ahead of this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars ceremony on July 15 in Macau, one of the most anticipated honors has already been named.
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Andrew Ho, co-founder of Hope & Sesame in Guangzhou, China has been named the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender for 2025 by Asia’s 50 Best Bars. The award is entirely chosen fellow top bartenders making it one of the industry’s highest honors.
Ho is best known for opening Hope & Sesame in 2016, Mainland China’s first speakeasy-style cocktail bar. Since then, it has become one of the country’s most awarded bars, earning a regular spot on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. In 2024, it ranked No.14 and was named Best Bar in Mainland China for the second year in a row.
A Hong Kong native, Ho studied in Switzerland and worked in luxury hotels before transitioning to bar ownership. Aside from Hope & Sesame, he also runs SanYou (a baiju-forward bar in Guangzhou) and DSK Cocktail Club (also in Guangzhou), and leads Spirits Architects, a hospitality consultancy that supports bar projects from concept, operations, brand strategy, and training. Ho has led guest shifts and events in over 40 cities globally and continues to mentor young bartenders across Asia.
“It is such an incredible honor for my family, team and myself to have my work recognized by such an illustrious panel of industry peers and colleagues. After the excitement settles, it’s important to remember that my work is not done. The responsibility to inspire and mentor our next generation still requires my unwavering dedication.”
This is the second special award announced ahead of the tenth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, which will take place on July 15 in Macau.
To see what’s coming up at this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars from events, guest shifts, and what to watch out for, click here.
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