Tales of the Cocktail Announces Top Ten Nominees for the 10th Annual Spirited Awards

The Top 10 Nominees for the 10th Annual Spirited Awards®

These nominees were chosen from thousands as the world’s top bars, bartenders, writers, and cocktail experts.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – June 14, 2016 – Following a rigorous evaluation of over 1500 unique nominees, the top ten for each award category have been chosen for the 10th Annual Spirited Awards®. The Spirited Awards® were created in 2007 to recognize this year’s best bars, bartenders, writers, experts in the hard working service industry.

American and International committees comprised of the most respected minds in the cocktail industry selected the top 10 nominees for the 24 award categories. Each nominee was reviewed in detail to ensure it met the criteria and then presented by ballot to the committee judges. The 110 esteemed judges’ votes yielded this year’s top 10 nominees.

“These nominees are just a snapshot of the talent and creativity that is in our industry today. In order to truly capture what is going on in the global cocktail movement, our short lists would need to be doubled.” said Simon Ford, Spirited Awards Chairman® and host. “These awards recognize the people and places that captured the imagination of the 110 judges, but please also remember these awards are celebrating the industry we all love and the resurgence of the cocktail movement.

The 25 Spirited Awards® recipients will be announced at the Spirited Awards® at the Sheraton New Orleans on Saturday, July 23, 2016 as a part of the 14th Annual Tales of the Cocktail®. We will also honor and celebrate the life and the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Inductee, Sasha Petraske. In addition, we will remember the other industry pioneers we have lost this year.

“Making the Spirited Awards top ten is no small feat. We receive hundreds of nominations in each category so everyone on this list should be proud of this hard-earned accomplishment,” said Ann Tuennerman, Founder of Tales of the Cocktail®. “With the quality of bars, bartenders, ambassadors, distillers and writers we have in our industry, it was not an easy task for our judges. I want to thank them for lending their time and expertise in narrowing down to our top tens.”

On Monday, June 20, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), Simon Ford, Spirited Awards® Chairman will announce the final four finalists for each category from Los Angeles via Facebook Live on the Tales of the Cocktail Facebook Page. Each finalist will be invited to attend the live ceremony in New Orleans. Each award recipient will receive an exclusive Riedel Crystal Trophy.

This year, the Spirited Awards® will feature a live stream the night of the event. The 2016 Spirited Awards® hosts include Simon Ford and Aisha Tyler, actor, comedian, author, activist, director, and co-host of the CBS show The Talk.

The sponsors of the 10th Annual Spirited Awards® include Bacardi USA, BarSmart, Beam Suntory, Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, Chivas, El Dorado Rum, Fords Gin, Gazela Vinho Verde, Goose Island, House of Angostura, Luxardo, Nikka Whisky, Parlor Lounge, Pernod Absinthe, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Ramazzotti, Rutte, The Cromwell, United States Bartenders Guild and William Grant & Sons.

Please see below for the complete list of finalists according to category.

SPIRITED AWARD® FINALISTS

American Categories

Best American Bar Team

• ABV (San Francisco)
• Anvil Bar & Refuge (Houston)
• Attaboy (New York City)
• The Dead Rabbit (New York City)
• Drink (Boston)
• Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles)
• Herbs & Rye (Las Vegas)
• Holiday Cocktail Lounge (New York City)
• The NoMad (New York City)
• Williams & Graham (Denver)

Best American Cocktail Bar

• ABV (San Francisco)
• The Aviary (Chicago)
• canon: whiskey and bitters emporium (Seattle)
• Clover Club (Brooklyn)
• The Dead Rabbit (New York City)
• The NoMad (New York City)
• Prizefighter (Emeryville)
• The Normandie Club (Los Angeles)
• Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)
• Trick Dog (San Francisco)

American Bartender of the Year

• Julio Cabrera of The Regent Cocktail Club (Miami)
• Marcovaldo Dionysos of Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)
• Chris Hannah of French 75 (New Orleans)
• Bobby Heugel of Anvil Bar & Refuge (Houston)
• Giuseppe González of Suffolk Arms (New York City)
• John Lermayer of Sweet Liberty (Miami Beach)
• Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common (Portland)
• Yael Vengroff of The Spare Room (Los Angeles)
• Pamela Wiznitzer of Seamstress (New York City)
• Naren Young of Dante (New York)

Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar

• Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour (Phoenix)
• The Esquire Tavern (San Antonio)
• Flatiron Lounge (New York City)
• Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles)
• Herbs & Rye (Las Vegas)
• Honeycut (Los Angeles)
• Melrose Umbrella Co. (Los Angeles)
• No. 308 (Nashville)
• Pegu Club (New York City)
• Polite Provisions (San Diego)

Best American Brand Ambassador

• Colin Asare-appiah (Bacardi)
• Tim Cooper (The 86 Co.)
• Daniel de Oliveira (Leblon)
• Gardner Dunn (Beam Suntory)
• Anne Louise-Marquis (Marnier Lapostolle)
• Bernie Lubbers (Heaven Hill Distilleries)
• Ewan Morgan (Whisky at Diageo)
• Robin Nance (Auchentoshan)
• Chris Patino (Pernod Ricard)
• Ria Soler (Chartreuse)

Best American Hotel Bar

• Bound by Salvatore at The Cromwell (Las Vegas)
• The Elephant Bar at The NoMad (New York City)
• The Hawthorne at the Commonwealth Hotel (Boston)
• Midnight Rambler at The Joule Dallas (Dallas)
• Pepe le Moko at the Ace Hotel Portland (Portland)
• Proof on Main at 21c Museum Hotel Louisville (Louisville)
• Sable Kitchen & Bar at Hotel Palomar (Chicago)
• The Spare Room at The Hollywood Roosevelt (Los Angeles)
• The Upstairs Bar at the Ace Hotel Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
• Vesper Bar at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas (Las Vegas)

Best American Restaurant Bar

• Cane & Table (New Orleans)
• Eat the Rich (Washington, DC)
• The Eveleigh (Los Angeles)
• Gramercy Tavern (New York City)
• No. 9 Park (Boston)
• nopa (San Francisco)
• One Flew South (Atlanta)
• Saxon + Parole (New York City)
• Scopa Italian Roots (Venice)
• The Rieger (Kansas City)

Best New American Cocktail Bar

• Bar Goto (New York City)
• Dante (New York City)
• Forgery (San Francisco)
• Leyenda (Brooklyn)
• Old Lightning (Marina Del Rey)
• Suffolk Arms (New York City)
• Sweet Liberty (Miami Beach)
• The Treasury (San Francisco)
• The Walker Inn (Los Angeles)
• Whitechapel (San Francisco)

International Categories

Best International Bar Team

• American Bar at the Savoy (London, United Kingdom)
• The Baxter Inn (Sydney, Australia)
• Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia)
• Callooh Callay (London, United Kingdom)
• Connaught Bar (London, United Kingdom)
• Dandelyan (London, United Kingdom)
• Floridita (Havana, Cuba)
• Limantour (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Little Red Door (Paris, France)
• White Lyan (London, United Kingdom)

Best International Brand Ambassador

• Ian Burrell (Rum Ambassador)
• Dean Callan (Monkey Shoulder)
• Allison Dedianko (Belvedere)
• Joe McCanta (Grey Goose)
• Raj Nagra (Bombay Gins)
• George Nemec (Becherovka)
• Shervene Shahbazkhani (Bacardi)
• Tim Stones (Beefeater Gin)
• Camille Vidal (St-Germain)
• Max Warner (Chivas)

International Bartender of the Year

• Charles Ainsbury (Sydney, Australia)
• Monica Berg of HIMKOK (Oslo, Norway)
• Daniele Dalla Pola (Bologna, Italy)
• Marcis Dzelzainis of Sager + Wilde Paradise Row (London, United Kingdom)
• Chris Lowder of Charles H. (Seoul, South Korea)
• Iain Griffiths of White Lyan and Dandelyan (London, United Kingdom)
• Zdenek Kastanek of 28 Hong Kong Street (Singapore)
• Tess Posthumus of Door 74 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• Carina Soto Velásquez of Candelaria (Paris, France)
• Hidetsugu Ueno of Bar High Five (Tokyo, Japan)

Best International Cocktail Bar

• Bar High Five (Tokyo, Japan)
• Bar Termini (London, United Kingdom)
• Bramble Bar (Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
• Bulletin Place (Sydney, Australia)
• Candelaria (Paris, France)
• Happiness Forgets (London, United Kingdom)
• Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar (Tel Aviv, Israel)
• Limantour (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Le Lion Bar de Paris (Hamburg, Germany)
• Tales & Spirits (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar

• Baba Au Rum (Athens, Greece)
• Callooh Callay (London, United Kingdom)
• Central Station Boutique Bar (Beirut, Lebanon)
• The Clumsies (Athens, Greece)
• Eau De Vie (Melbourne, Australia)
• The Lobo Plantation (Sydney, Australia)
• Potato Head Beach Club (Bali, Indonesia)
• Ruby (Copenhagen, Denmark)
• Strøm Bar (Copenhagen, Denmark)
• Trailer Happiness (London, United Kingdom)

Best International Restaurant Bar

• City Social (London, United Kingdom)
• Delicatessen (Moscow, Russia)
• Duck & Waffle (London, United Kingdom)
• Hawksmoor Spitalfields (London, United Kingdom)
• Linje Ti and Tjoget (Stockholm, Sweden)
• Le Mary Celeste (Paris, France)
• Oblix (London, United Kingdom)
• Sager + Wilde (London, United Kingdom)
• Tippling Club (Singapore)
• Zuma (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Best International Hotel Bar

• American Bar at The Savoy (London)
• Black Angel’s Bar at Hotel U Prince (Prague, Czech Republic)
• Chiltern Firehouse (London, United Kingdom)
• The Connaught Bar at The Connaught (London, United Kingdom)
• Dandelyan at the Mondrian, London (London, United Kingdom)
• Lobster Bar and Grill at the Island Shangri-La (Hong Kong)
• Manhattan at the Regent Singapore (Singapore)
• Punch Room at The London EDITION (London, United Kingdom)
• Widder Bar at the Widder Hotel (Zurich, Switzerland)
• The Zetter Townhouse at the Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell (London, United Kingdom)

Best New International Cocktail Bar

• 7 Tales (London, United Kingdom)
• Black Rock (London, United Kingdom)
• Charles H. (Seoul, South Korea)
• The Dark Horse (Bath, United Kingdom)
• Dead Ringer (Sydney, Australia)
• The Gibson (London, United Kingdom)
• Gibson Bar (Singapore)
• HIMKOK (Oslo, Norway)
• Joyeux Bordel (London, United Kingdom)
• Oriole (London, United Kingdom)

Writing 

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication

• Australian Bartender
• Bartender Magazine
• Chilled Magazine
• Cocktail Lovers
• Difford’s Guide
• Drinks International
• Gin Foundry
• Liquor.com
• The Spirits Business
• Whisky & Fine Spirits

Best Cocktail and Spirits Writer

• Jenny Adams
• Wayne Curtis
• Simon Difford
• Dan Dunn
• Camper English
• Alice Lascelles
• Sandrae Lawrence
• Jeffrey Morgenthaler
• Robert Simonson
• Naren Young 

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book

• Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Apertivo Cocktail, with Recipes by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau
• The Tippling Bros. A Lime and a Shaker: Discovering Mexican-Inspired Cocktails by Tad Carducci, Paul Tanguay and Alia Akkam
• Good Things to Drink with Mr Lyan and Friends by Ryan Chetiyawardana
• The Cocktail Chronicles: Navigating the Cocktail Renaissance with Jigger, Shaker & Glass by Paul Clarke
• The Experimental Cocktail Club: Paris, London, & New York by Romée de Goriainoff, Pierre-Charles Cros, Olivier Bon, Xavier Padavoni
• Ten Cocktails: The Art of Convivial Drinking by Alice Lascelles
• Drinking the Devil’s Acre: A Love Letter from San Francisco and her Cocktails by Duggan McDonnell
• The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual: Secret Recipes and Barroom Tales from Two Belfast Boys Who Conquered the Cocktail World by Sean Muldoon, Jack McGarry, and Ben Schaffer
• The NoMad Cocktail Book by Leo Robitschek
• The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion by Julie Reiner

Best New Spirits Books

• Bitterman’s Field Guide to Bitters & Amari: 500 Bitters; 50 Amari; 123 Recipes for Cocktails, Food & Homemade Bitters by Mark Bitterman
• Divided Spirits – Tequila, Mezcal and the Politics of Production by Sarah Bowen
• The Year of Drinking Adventurously: 52 Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone by Jeff Colett
• Vermouth: The Revival of the Spirit that Created America’s Cocktail Culture by Adam Ford
• How the Gringos Stole Tequila: The Modern Age of Mexico’s Most Traditional Spirit by Chantal Martineau
• Bourbon Curious: A Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker by Fred Minnick
• Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey by Reid Mitenbuler
• El Gran Libro del Vermut: Con Mas de Cien Maneras de Tomárselo by François Mont
• The Art of American Whisky: A Visual History of the Nation’s Most Storied Spirit, Through 100 Iconic Labels by Noah Rothbaum

Global Categories

Best Bar Mentor

• Bridget Albert
• Derek Brown
• Jason Crawley
• Francesco Lafranconi
• Don Lee
• Dré Masso
• Lauren Mote
• Agostino Perrone
• Andy Seymour
• Angus Winchester

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient

• Caña Brava 7-year Reserva Añeja Rum by the 86 Co. (Panamá)
• Campo de Encanto “Barkeep’s Whimsy” Pisco (Perú)
• Lagavulin 8-Year Old – 200th Anniversary Edition (United Kingdom)
• Midwestern Dry Gin by J. Rieger & Co. (United States)
• Orphan Barrel Gifted Horse Whiskey by Diageo (United States)
• Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum (Barbados)
• Ragtime Rye by New York Distilling Company (United States)
• Riserva Speciale ‘Rubin’ Vermouth by MARTINI & ROSSI (Italy)
• Rutte Celery Dry Gin by Rutte Spirits (Netherlands)
• Rutte Old Simon Genever by Rutte Spirits (Netherlands)

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

• American Bar at the Savoy (London, United Kingdom)
• The Aviary (Chicago, United States)
• Baba Au Rum (Athens, Greece)
• Charles H. (Seoul, South Korea)
• Dandelyan (London, United Kingdom)
• Little Red Door (Paris, France)
• Lost Lake (Chicago, United States)
• Mace (New York, United States)
• Nightjar (London, United Kingdom)
• Trick Dog (San Francisco, United States)

World’s Best Spirits Selection

• American Bar at the Savoy (London, United Kingdom)
• Amor y Amargo (New York, United States)
• The Baxter Inn (Sydney, Australia)
• Daddy-O (New York, United States)
• Multnomah Whiskey Library (Portland, United States)
• Old Lightning (Marina Del Rey, United States)
• The Office at The Aviary (Chicago, United States)
• Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco, United States)
• Tommy’s (San Francisco, United States)
• Whitechapel (San Francisco, United States)

For more information on past winners and Tales of the Cocktail®, visit the website at TalesoftheCocktail.com or call 504-948-0511.

About Tales of the Cocktail®

Founded in 2002, Tales of the Cocktail® has grown from a small gathering of cocktail lovers into the world’s premier cocktail festival. Each year the international spirits industry is welcomed to New Orleans for a week of seminars, tastings, networking events and much more. With 200+ annual events developed specifically for bartenders, distillers and other spirits professionals, Tales of the Cocktail® is the industry’s annual meeting place for exchange of new ideas, products and techniques. For more information on past winners and Tales of the Cocktail®, visit the website at TalesoftheCocktail.com or call 504-948-0511.