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Tales Catalyst
Created to celebrate women and non-binary individuals who are breaking barriers and championing inclusivity within the global beverage community, Tales Catalyst will honor two individuals—one U.S. and one International—at the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans.
Tales Catalyst honors individuals who are making a real impact in their communities—leaders who are driving change and advocating for marginalized groups in the industry. Tales of the Cocktail Foundation welcomes leaders who champion equity, inclusion, and foster supportive community spaces to nominate themselves or other industry leaders. Each year, the Foundation will honor two “Tales Catalysts” — one U.S. and one International – at the annual Tales Catalyst event at Tales of the Cocktail®.
Since 2012, Tales Catalyst, formerly Dame Hall of Fame, has created an opportunity for women in the industry to come together and celebrate accomplishments not commonly recognized by other bar awards. While this intention has not changed, it has been broadened to divest from the gender binary and be inclusive of all genders, including non-binary and trans people.
2026 Dates & Deadlines Nomination Process & Application Criteria FAQ Committee
2026 Tales Catalyst Dates & Deadlines
February 16: Tales Catalyst Nomination Period Opens
February 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST: Tales Catalyst Nomination Period Closes
April 24: 2026 Tales Catalyst Honorees Announced
July 21: Tales Catalyst at Tales of the Cocktail
2026 Tales Catalyst Honorees
2026 Tales Catalyst U.S. Honoree:
Kapri Robinson
Kapri Robinson isn’t just a bartender; she’s a force in the spirits world. Crowned DC’s 2017 Cocktail Queen, Kapri has since become a nationally recognized expert, educator, and advocate for diversity in the bar industry. As the President & Founder of Chocolate City’s Best (CCB), she’s built a vital organization that connects Black and Brown bar professionals through mentorship, education, and career growth.
You might recognize Kapri from her appearance as one of the twelve trailblazing “Drink Masters” on Netflix, or from her features in major outlets like PUNCH, Forbes, and The Washington Post. Her expertise extends to the global stage, where she leads popular seminars on hospitality, empowerment, and cocktail knowledge at renowned conferences such as Tales of the Cocktail, Bar Convent Brooklyn, and the Toronto Cocktail Conference.
Her influence hasn’t gone unnoticed: Kapri was named one of Eater’s “New Guard” in 2021, recognized for challenging conventions and empowering communities. The Spirited Awards has recogonized Kapri numerous times. She won the Spirited Award for U.S. Bartender of the Year in 2024, and she was recognized as a Spirited Awards nominee for U.S. Bartender of the Year two additional times, placing in the Top 10 in 2022 and the Top 4 in 2023. Liquor.com also named her Bartender of the Year in 2023.
Beyond her individual achievements, Kapri has left her mark on iconic menus, co-creating the award-winning cocktail program for Allegory, one of North America’s 50 Best Bars. Her team was even named “Best US Bar Team” at the 2025 Spirited Awards. She also co-hosts the “Soul Palate Podcast,” normalizing Black and Brown palates in the industry. Kapri is fiercely dedicated to educating the public on spirits and creating equitable opportunities for underrepresented professionals.
2026 Tales Catalyst International Honoree:
Anna Sebastian
Anna Sebastian is the founder of global hospitality company Anna Sebastian Hospitality, an agency that specializes in creative and commercial strategy within luxury hospitality.
She is also the founder of Celebrate Her, a nonprofit community of women in the drinks industry. It is a platform for over 500 women in 57 countries that provides support, connection, community, resources, and events. The aim is to ensure greater equity and visibility for women in the drinks industry.
She was part of the award-winning teams of the American Bar and the Beaufort Bar, who placed within the World’s 50 Best Bars list several times, including No.1 for the American Bar and the Spirited Awards, including Best International Team and Best International Hotel Team.
In 2017, she moved to take on the role of Bar Manager at the Arteisan Bar at the Langham Hotel, where she rebuilt the team and re-entered the World’s 50 Best Bars list. Anna and the team won Bar Manager of the Year at the Class Bar Awards 2020, Best Menu at Class Awards 2020, and Best Team at Imbibe Awards in 2020.
During her time at the Langham, Celebrate Her was born out of a conversation with the team post-shift. It started with an event with 20 women that exploded, and from that, the idea was born to give more visibility and encourage more women to be part of the industry. They launched the World’s 50 Best 50/50, a new 50-diversity program, and, throughout lockdown, started to grow the community; it became a place to connect, share news, and make connections. Today, it is one of the largest communities of women in the drinks industry worldwide and continues to provide support to many. It recently launched the first-ever Drinks Industry Data Survey to understand the makeup of the industry, its challenges, opportunities, and where changes, funding, and support are needed.
During COVID, she began volunteering with Under One Sky, a front charity that helps the homeless, delivering hot food and drink each night. She was out every night feeding the homeless, lobbying the hospitality industry for donations, gathering clothes and supplies, and helping people get back on their feet. She feels that this was the turning point for understanding what hospitality was really about and that moment changed her outlook on it.
She also features in the CODE Most Influential Women in Hospitality and the Drinks International Bar World Top 100 People in the Drinks Industry, where she has appeared for the last 4 years.
She is a judge, speaker, presenter, and panelist for the Hotel Magazine Awards, Bar Magazine, and Class Awards. In 2025, she joined the educational committee of Tales of the Cocktail.
Tales Catalyst Nomination Process
Categories open for nominations are NOT based on the volume of nominations submitted. It only takes ONE nomination to be considered to be a Tales Catalyst Honoree. Self-nominations are encouraged. Please read through the FAQs before starting the nomination form.
Application Criteria
The U.S. Tales Catalyst Honoree considerations:
- A person whose professional and personal accomplishments have shaped the beverage landscape and provide visible models of achievement and equity for tomorrow’s leaders
- Serves as a leader and mentor
- Resides in the United States
The International Tales Catalyst Honoree considerations:
- A person whose professional and personal accomplishments have shaped the beverage landscape and provide visible models of achievement and equity for tomorrow’s leaders
- Serves as a leader and mentor
- Resides outside of the United States
Frequently Asked Questions
Christina Veira, Co-Owner of Bar Mordecai and Founder of STAVE
How do I nominate a Tales Catalyst?
Why was Dame Hall of Fame renamed to Tales Catalyst?
Can I nominate someone else to be a Tales Catalyst?
What are the responsibilities if I am selected as a Tales Catalyst?
What is happening to the past Dame Hall of Fame Inductees?
When is this year’s Tales Catalyst seminar?
Who should I nominate to be honored as a Tales Catalyst?
What are the criteria for U.S. & International Honorees?
How are Honorees selected?
Can I nominate myself?
What is the Tales Visionary Award?
Tales Catalyst Honorees & Dame Hall of Fame Members By Year
*Qualifications listed may reflect the individual’s current title or their title at time of induction.*
2025 Tales Catalyst Honorees
2024 Tales Catalyst Honorees
2023 Tales Catalyst Honorees
2022 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2021 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2020 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2019 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2018 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2017 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2016 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2015 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2014 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2013 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
2012 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees
Tales Catalyst Committee
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Tales Catalyst Committee Members, including Co-Chairs and Committee Members, consists of active Tales Catalysts who have had groundbreaking accomplishments and have shaped the beverage landscape, providing visible models of achievement for tomorrow’s leaders. A celebration of hospitality trail-blazers, the active Tales Catalysts work to select individuals who have made a unique and lasting impact on the accessibility and intersectionality of the cocktail community by introducing annually two new “Tales Catalysts” — the U.S. Honoree and International Honoree.