'Hungry scene'
The Asian city-state now counts six top 50 venues. In addition to Manhattan at number five, there's gin specialists Atlas at 15, Operation Dagger at 24, 28 Hongkong Street at 25, the Tippling Club at 31 and Native at 47.
"It's a new and very hungry scene," says Roman Foltan, head bartender at Atlas, which was named the highest new entry into the 50 Best Bars list. "People are very open to trying new things. Not just in Singapore, but in other Asian cities like Hong Kong and Bangkok."
William Drew, group editor for The World's 50 Best Bars, says while many bars work hard to promote themselves, particularly in the age of Twitter, success still comes down to quality of service, genuine atmosphere and, most importantly, satisfied customers.
"Much is made of how bars generate publicity using social media," he tells CNN. "But if there's a fantastic bar somewhere, even if it's underground and relatively unknown, people will find out about it and they will come."
And when they come to the Savoy Bar, Whisson and his fellow bartenders will be waiting.
"It's a glory to cherish," he says of his venue's victory in the nine-year-old contest. "But tomorrow, we'll be back behind the bar, doing what we do."