The 14th Annual Spirited Awards® Remains Committed to Recognizing the Professionals, Organizations and Establishments Leaving an Indelible Mark on the Spirits Industry
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (April 14, 2020) — Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is committed to moving forward with the 14th annual Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Spirited Awards® in an effort to recognize the depth of talent across our global spirits community. While events and awards ceremonies are getting postponed and cancelled across the world in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation feels it is more important now than ever to continue to honor the professionals, organizations and establishments that have enhanced the industry.
Since its founding in 2007, the Spirited Awards® have become one of the most sought-after awards, recognizing beverage professionals, products, and establishments across every facet of the spirits and cocktail community on a global scale. The award categories spotlight a range of talent from bartenders, journalists, and brand ambassadors, to brands and media, to ensure each aspect of the industry is well represented and recognized for its contributions.
This year, a record number of Spirited Awards® submissions were received across all categories — a testament to the hospitality industry’s continued participation in recognizing the incredible hard work and achievements of our colleagues. In that spirit, the Foundation is proud to announce the Regional Top 10 honorees, broken into regions in the United States (East, Central and West) and Internationally (Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific, and The Americas (Canada, Latin America & the Caribbean).
2020 Spirited Awards® Honorees (in alpha order):
Best American Bar Team | Best American Cocktail Bar | Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar | Best American Hotel Bar | Best American Restaurant Bar | Best New American Cocktail Bar
Best International Bar Team | Best International Cocktail Bar | Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar | Best International Hotel Bar | Best International Restaurant Bar | Best New American Cocktail Bar
AMERICAN ESTABLISHMENTS
Bad Hunter — Chicago, IL
Copper Spoon — Fort Wayne, IN
Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
Johnny’s Gold Brick — Houston, TX
Kumiko — Chicago, IL
Lost Lake — Chicago, IL
Nickel City — Austin, TX
The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX
Three Dots and a Dash — Chicago, IL
Williams & Graham — Denver, CO
Café La Trova — Miami, FL
Dear Irving Gramercy — New York, NY
Employees Only — New York, NY
Existing Conditions — New York, NY
Ghost Donkey — New York, NY
Katana Kitten — New York, NY
Le Sirenuse Restaurant & Champagne Bar At The Surf Club Miami — Miami, FL
Service Bar DC — Washington, D.C.
Sweet Liberty — Miami, FL
The Long Island Bar — Brooklyn, NY
Death & Co. at the Ramble Hotel — Denver, CO
Hey Love at The Jupiter — Portland, OR
Navy Strength — Seattle, WA
Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
Paper Plane — San Jose, CA
Polite Provisions — San Diego, CA
Rumba — Seattle, WA
The Snug — Sacramento, CA
True Laurel — San Francisco, CA
Wildhawk — San Francisco, CA
Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 — New Orleans, LA
Best Intentions — Chicago, IL
Billy Sunday — Chicago, IL
Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge — Milwaukee, WI
Julep — Houston, TX
Manifesto — Kansas City, MO
META — Louisville, KY
Midnight Cowboy — Austin, TX
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room — Cleveland, OH
Sparrow — Chicago, IL
Standby — Detroit, MI
Sugar House — Detroit, MI
The Atomic Lounge — Birmingham, AL
*Includes 13 honorees due to a tie
Banzarbar — New York, NY
Bar Goto — New York, NY
barmini by José Andrés — Washington, D.C.
Basik — Brooklyn, NY
Drink — Boston, MA
Jaguar Sun — Miami, FL
Katana Kitten — New York, NY
Pearl Diver — Nashville, TN
Portland Hunt + Alpine Club — Portland, ME
The Hawthorne — Boston, MA
Bar Leather Apron — Honolulu, HI
Brass Tacks — Denver, CO
Duke’s Spirited Cocktails — Healdsburg, CA
Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
Raised by Wolves — San Diego, CA
Rob Roy — Seattle, WA
Rumba — Seattle, WA
Teardrop Lounge — Portland, OR
The Sea Star — San Francisco, CA
Trick Dog — San Francisco, CA
Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar
Anvil — Houston, TX
Barrel Proof — New Orleans, LA
Half Step — Austin, TX
Maxine’s Tap Room — Fayetteville, AR
Moneygun — Chicago, IL
Nickel City — Austin, TX
Sportsman’s Club — Chicago, IL
The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX
The Whistler — Chicago, IL
Three Dots and a Dash — Chicago, IL
Archipelago — Washington, D.C.
Café La Trova — Miami, FL
Dutch Kills Bar — Queens, NY
Existing Conditions — New York, NY
Ghost Donkey — New York, NY
Jack Rose — Washington, D.C.
Sweet Liberty — Miami, FL
The Dead Rabbit — New York, NY
The Long Island Bar — Brooklyn, NY
The NoMad Bar — New York, NY
Yvonne’s — Boston, MA
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
ABV — San Francisco, CA
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour — Phoenix, AZ
Hello Stranger — Oakland, CA
Navy Strength — Seattle, WA
Occidental — Denver, CO
Paper Plane — San Jose, CA
Polite Provisions — San Diego, CA
The Double Standard — Oakland, CA
The Snug — Sacramento, CA
Zombie Village — San Francisco, CA
Bourbon “O” Jazz Bar at Bourbon Orleans Hotel — New Orleans, LA
By George at The Candler Hotel — Atlanta, GA
Candy Bar at The Siren — Detroit, MI
Lazy Bird at The Hoxton — Chicago, IL
Midnight Rambler at the Joule — Dallas, TX
Proof on Main at 21c Museum Hotel — Louisville, KY
Sable Kitchen & Bar at Kimpton Hotel Palomar — Chicago, IL
Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt — New Orleans, LA
The Library at the Detroit Club — Detroit, MI
VASO at AC Hotel Columbus Dublin — Dublin, OH
Vol. 39 at Kimpton Gray Hotel — Chicago, IL
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
Ai Fiori at The Langham — New York, NY
Allegory at the Eaton Hotel — Washington, D.C.
Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle — New York, NY
Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel — New York, NY
Elephant Bar at the NoMad Hotel — New York, NY
Le Sirenuse Restaurant & Champagne Bar At The Surf Club Miami — Miami, FL
Merchant & Trade at the Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel — Charlotte, NC
POV Rooftop Lounge and Terrace at the W — Washington, D.C.
The Bar Room at Temple Court at The Beekman — New York, NY
The Bygone at Four Seasons Hotel — Baltimore, MD
The Living Room Bar at The Dewberry — Charleston, SC
The Rum House at Edison Hotel — New York, NY
*Includes 12 honorees due to a tie
Benjamin Cooper at the Hotel G — San Francisco, CA
Broken Shaker at Freehand Hotel — Los Angeles, CA
Death & Co. at the Ramble Hotel — Denver, CO
Hey Love at The Jupiter — Portland, OR
Libertine Social at the Mandalay Bay — Las Vegas, NV
Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott — Phoenix, AZ
Mountaineering Club at the Graduate Seattle Hotel — Seattle, WA
Mr. COCO at the Palms Casino Resort — Las Vegas, NV
The Dorsey at the Venetian — Las Vegas, NV
The Spare Room at The Hollywood Roosevelt — Los Angeles, CA
Bad Hunter — Chicago, IL
Better Luck Tomorrow — Houston, TX
Grey Ghost — Detroit, MI
Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
Kumiko — Chicago, IL
Revel Cafe & Bar — New Orleans, LA
Sepia — Chicago, IL
Spoon & Stable — Minneapolis, MN
Sylvain — New Orleans, LA
The Rieger — Kansas City, MO
Chickadee — Boston, MA
Eleven Madison Park — New York, NY
Empire State South — Atlanta, GA
Gramercy Tavern — New York, NY
Kimball House — Decatur, GA
Saxon + Parole — New York, NY
The Baldwin Bar — Woburn, MA
The Dabney — Washington, D.C.
The Silver Dollar — Louisville, KY
Ticonderoga Club — Atlanta, GA
Bar Agricole — San Francisco, CA
Cleaver — Las Vegas, NV
Clyde Common — Portland, OR
DAMA — Los Angeles, CA
Jimmy’s — Aspen, CO
Morin — Denver, CO
Nopa — San Francisco, CA
Otium — Los Angeles, CA
Redbird — Los Angeles, CA
True Laurel — San Francisco, CA
Best New American Cocktail Bar
Bar Marilou — New Orleans, LA
Belle Époque — New Orleans, LA
Flora Fauna — Chicago, IL
Jet-Setter — San Antonio, TX
Monkey’s Tail — Houston, TX
Pastiche — San Antonio, TX
The Bar at Willett — Bardstown, KY
The Dandy Crown — Chicago, IL
The Hey! Hey! Club — Kansas City, MO
Two Headed Dog — Houston, TX
Bar Goto Niban — Brooklyn, NY
Bar Pisellino — New York, NY
Boat Drinks — St. Augustine, FL
Cardinal Bar — Atlanta, GA
Crown Shy — New York, NY
Hanumanh — Washington, D.C.
Kingfisher Bar — Durham, NC
Rule of Thirds — Brooklyn, NY
Silver Lyan — Washington, D.C.
Sugar Monk — New York, NY
The Sylvester — Miami, FL
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
Bar Flores — Los Angeles, CA
California Gold — San Rafael, California
Century Grand — Phoenix, AZ
Elda — San Francisco, CA
LowBoy — Los Angeles, CA
Morning Glory — San Diego, CA
Roquette — Seattle, WA
Scotch Lodge — Portland, OR
The Doctor’s Office — Seattle, WA
Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, CA
Viridian — Oakland, CA
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
INTERNATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS
For the Middle East and Africa region, the number of nominations continues to increase annually but remains an emerging scene for cocktail culture, so some categories may not have a full set of 10 honorees.
Asia & Pacific | Canada | Europe | Latin American & Caribbean | Middle East & Africa
Bulletin Place — Sydney, Australia
Cantina OK! — Sydney, Australia
DarkSide at Rosewood — Hong Kong, China
Hope & Sesame — Guangzhou, China
Jigger & Pony — Singapore
Manhattan at Regent Singapore — Singapore
MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
Old Mate’s Place — Sydney, Australia
Sober Company — Shanghai, China
Tropic City — Bangkok, Thailand
Atwater Cocktail Club — Montreal, Canada
Bar Raval — Toronto, Canada
Botanist — Vancouver, Canada
Civil Liberties — Toronto, Canada
Lobby Lounge and RawBar at Fairmont Pacific Rim — Vancouver, Canada
Mahjong Bar — Toronto, Canada
The Cloakroom Bar — Montreal, Canada
The Coldroom — Montreal, Canada
The Drake Minibar at The Drake Hotel — Toronto, Canada
The Keefer Bar — Vancouver, Canada
Artesian at The Langham — London, UK
Baba Au Rum House of Spirits – Athens, Greece
Boutiq’Bar — Budapest, Hungary
El Copitas Bar — St. Petersburg, Russia
Lyaness — London, UK
Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
The Clumsies — Athens, Greece
The Connaught Bar — London, UK
The Donovan Bar — London, UK
Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain
Alquímico — Cartagena, Colombia
ARCA — Tulum, Mexico
Dodo Café — Querétaro, Mexico
El Barón Café & Liquor Bar — Cartagena, Colombia
Fifty Mils — Mexico City, Mexico
Guilhotina Bar — São Paulo, Brazil
Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar — Mexico City, Mexico
Huerta Coctelería Artesanal — Bogotá, Colombia
Kaito del Valle — Mexico City, Mexico
La Factoría — San Juan, Puerto Rico
Siete Negronis — Santiago, Chile
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
Buddha-Bar — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen – Cape Town, South Africa
Ferdinand — Beirut, Lebanon
Front/Back — Accra, Ghana
Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar — Tel Aviv, Israel
Incognito — Cape Town, South Africa
Lucky Shaker — Umhlanga, South Africa
Sin + Tax — Randburg, South Africa
The Art of Duplicity — Cape Town, South Africa
The House of Machines — Cape Town, South Africa
Best International Cocktail Bar
Asia & Pacific | Canada | Europe | Latin American & Caribbean | Middle East & Africa
Above Board — Melbourne, Australia
Bulletin Place — Sydney, Australia
Cantina OK! — Sydney, Australia
Coa — Hong Kong, China
MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
Native — Singapore
PS40 — Sydney, Australia
Speak Low — Shanghai, China
The Old Man — Hong Kong, China
The SG Club — Tokyo, Japan
à toi — Toronto, Canada
Atwater Cocktail Club — Montreal, Canada
Bar Raval — Toronto, Canada
Civil Liberties — Toronto, Canada
El Pequeño Bar — Montreal, Canada
Gift Shop at Barber & Co. — Toronto, Canada
PrettyUgly Bar — Toronto, Canada
Proof Cocktail Bar — Calgary, Canada
The Cloakroom Bar — Montreal, Canada
The Keefer Bar — Vancouver, Canada
1930 Cocktail Bar — Milan, Italy
Candelaria — Paris, France
Homeboy Bar — London, UK
Le Syndicat — Paris, France
Little Red Door — Paris, France
Officina Milano — Milan, Italy
Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
Salmon Guru — Madrid, Spain
Scout London — London, UK
Swift — London, UK
The Lucky Liquor Co. — Edinburgh, UK
Three Sheets — London, UK
Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain
*Includes 13 honorees due to a tie
Baltra Bar — Mexico City, Mexico
Bebedero — San José, Costa Rica
CARNAVAL — Lima, Peru
El Barón Cafe & Liquor Bar — Cartagena, Colombia
Floreria Atlántico — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Guilhotina Bar — São Paulo, Brazil
Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar — Mexico City, Mexico
Kaito del Valle — Mexico City, Mexico
Mayo Bar — Lima, Peru
Presidente Bar — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen & Cape Brandy Bar — Cape Town, South Africa
Electric Bing Sutt — Beirut, Lebanon
Lucky Shaker — Umhlanga, South Africa
Nok by Alara — Lagos, Nigeria
PUBLIK Bar — Cape Town, South Africa
Shinko — Cairo, Egypt
Sin + Tax — Randburg, South Africa
The Art of Duplicity — Cape Town, South Africa
The House of Machines — Cape Town, South Africa
Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar
Asia & Pacific | Canada | Europe | Latin American & Caribbean | Middle East & Africa
Black Pearl — Melbourne, Australia
Eau de Vie — Melbourne, Australia
Employees Only — Singapore
Hope & Sesame — Guangzhou, China
KOR — Taipei, Taiwan
Old Mate’s Place — Sydney, Australia
Opera Bar — Sydney, Australia
The Barber Shop — Sydney, Australia
The Baxter Inn — Sydney, Australia
The Odd Couple — Shanghai, China
Bar Le Lab — Montreal, Canada
Mahjong Bar — Toronto, Canada
Milky Way Cocktail Bar — Montreal, Canada
Miss Thing’s — Toronto, Canada
Pablo — Edmonton, Canada
The Boxcar — Vancouver, Canada
The Coldroom — Montreal, Canada
The Diamond — Vancouver, Canada
The Shameful Tiki Room — Toronto, Canada
The Walrus Pub & Beer Hall — Toronto, Canada
Baba Au Rum House of Spirits — Athens, Greece
Callooh Callay — London, UK
Drink Kong — Rome, Italy
Freni e Frizioni — Rome, Italy
HIMKOK — Oslo, Norway
Laki Kane — London, UK
Panda & Sons — Edinburgh, Scotland
The Clumsies — Athens, Greece
The Cocktail Trading Company — London, UK
Trailer Happiness — London, UK
Alquímico — Cartagena, Colombia
Amano Bar — Panama City, Panama
Floreria Atlántico — Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Factoría — San Juan, Puerto Rico
Licorería Limantour — Mexico City, Mexico
Oh No! Lulu — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Selvática — San José, Costa Rica
The Hormiga Negra Coctel Bar — Puebla, Mexico
Uptown & The Bronx — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Xaman Bar — Mexico City, Mexico
Buddha-Bar — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Front/Back — Accra, Ghana
Iris — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Spicehaus — Tel Aviv, Israel
The Republic Bar & Grill — Accra, Ghana
The Royale — Randburg, South Africa
Asia & Pacific | Canada | Europe | Latin American & Caribbean | Middle East & Africa
Bar Trigona at the Four Seasons Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Caprice Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel — Hong Kong, China
Charles H. at the Four Seasons Hotel — Seoul, South Korea
DarkSide at Rosewood — Hong Kong, China
Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel — Singapore
Lobster Bar and Grill at Island Shangri-La — Hong Kong, China
Origin Bar at The Shangri-La Hotel — Singapore
PDT Hong Kong at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental — Hong Kong, China
Punch Room at The Shanghai EDITION — Shanghai, China
The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental — Bangkok, Thailand
Bar Artefact at Auberge Saint-Antoine Hotel — Québec, Canada
Clive’s Classic Lounge at the Chateau Victoria — Victoria, Canada
Gerard Lounge at the The Sutton Place Hotel — Vancouver, Canada
Library Bar at the Fairmont Royal York — Toronto, Canada
Marcus Bar at The Four Seasons Hotel — Montreal, Canada
Nacarat at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth — Montreal, Canada
Six Twelve Lounge at the Sheraton Cavalier Saskatoon Hotel — Saskatoon, Canada
The Lobby Lounge and Raw Bar at the Hotel Fairmont Pacific Rim — Vancouver, Canada
The Lounge at the Drake Hotel — Toronto, Canada
The Raven Room at the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre — Whistler, Canada
Wilks’ Bar at Langdon Hall — Cambridge, Canada
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
Artesian at The Langham — London, UK
Lyaness at Sea Containers London — London, UK
Provocateur Bar in the Provocateur Hotel — Berlin, Germany
Punch Room at The Barcelona EDITION — Barcelona, Spain
Punch Room at The London EDITION — London, UK
Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood Hotel — London, UK
The American Bar at The Savoy Hotel — London, UK
The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy Hotel — London, UK
The Coral Room at The Bloomsbury Hotel — London, UK
The Donovan Bar at the Brown’s Hotel — London, UK
The Lobby Bar at The London EDITION — London, UK
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
ACRE Baja — San José del Cabo, Mexico
Baretto-Londra at Fasano Hotel — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Celajes Lounge Bar at Hotel Belmar — Monteverde, Costa Rica
COMAL at the Chileno Bay Resort — Los Cabos, Mexico
Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Hotel — Mexico City, Mexico
Frank Bar at the Maksoud Plaza — São Paulo, Brazil
Hotel Casa Awolly — Mexico City, Mexico
Mulberry Project at La Zebra Hotel — Tulum, Mexico
Spirit Copa Bar at Fairmont Hotel — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Townhouse Rooftop at Townhouse Boutique Hotel and Rooftop — Cartagena, Colombia
Frontier by Ideas Cartel — Cape Town, South Africa
Galaxy Bar DIFC — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Gigi Rooftop Restaurant & Bar at the Gorgeous George Hotel — Cape Town, South Africa
HOOCH Boutique & Drinkery at the Phoenicia Hotel — Beirut, Lebanon
Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar in the Imperial Hotel — Tel Aviv, Israel
Laurel Bar at Caesars Palace Bluewaters — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Planet Bar at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel — Cape Town, South Africa
Sky 28 at the Kenzi Tower Hotel— Casablanca, Morocco
Tambourin Rooftop Lounge and Bar at the Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel — Nairobi, Kenya
The Willaston Bar at The Silo Hotel — Cape Town, South Africa
Best International Restaurant Bar
Asia & Pacific | Canada | Europe | Latin American & Caribbean | Middle East & Africa
Bar Torino — Adelaide, Australia
Burnt Ends — Singapore
Caffe Fernet — Singapore
Capitano — Carlton, Australia
Continental Deli Bar Bistro— Newtown, Australia
Icebergs Dining Room Bar — Bondi Beach, Australia
Mjølner — Sydney, Australia
Restaurant Hubert — Sydney, Australia
Rosenbaum & Fuller — Bondi Beach, Australia
Sober Company — Shanghai, China
The Shady Acres — Hong Kong, China
Tippling Club — Singapore
*Includes 12 honorees due to a tie
Alo — Toronto, Canada
Bar Kismet — Halifax, Canada
Botanist — Vancouver, Canada
Chantecler — Toronto, Canada
Como Taperia — Vancouver, Canada
ELISA — Vancouver, Canada
Honō Izakaya — Québec, Canada
Kissa Tanto — Vancouver, Canada
Lot Six Bar & Restaurant — Halifax, Canada
Maple Leaf Tavern — Toronto, Canada
The Ostrich Club — Halifax, Canada
*Includes 11 honorees due to a tie
Baccano — Rome, Italy
Bonhomie — Paris, France
Café Moderne — Paris, France
Ceresio 7 — Milan, Italy
Danico — Paris, France
Le Mary Celeste — Paris, France
Octavius Bar at The Stage — Milano, Italy
Paloma Cantina — St. Petersburg, Russia
Sexy Fish — London, UK
The Craftsman — Reggio Emilia, Italy
Tjoget — Stockholm, Sweden
A Casa Do Porco — São Paulo, Brazil
ámaZ — Lima, Peru
ARCA — Tulum, Mexico
Carmela Y Sal — Mexico City, Mexico
Jungle Bird — San Juan, Puerto Rico
La Mar Cebichería — Lima, Peru
Mesa Franca — Bogotá, Colombia
Mito Mercato — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nórtico — Tijuana, Mexico
Room 09 — Santiago, Chile
SubAstor – São Paulo, Brazil
Tan Tan Noodle Bar — São Paulo, Brazil
*Includes 12 honorees due to a tie
BB Social Dining — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Brew Bistro and Lounge — Nairobi, Kenya
COYA Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Ferdinand — Beirut, Lebanon
La Otra — Tel Aviv, Israel
La Petite Maison — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Masti – Cocktails & Cuisine — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Fat Goat — Durban, South Africa
Zuma Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Best New International Cocktail Bar
Asia & Pacific | Canada | Europe | Latin American & Caribbean | Middle East & Africa
Bar Margaux — Melbourne, Australia
Barbary Coast SG — Singapore
Byrdi — Melbourne, Australia
CLIPPER — Auckland, New Zealand
Happy Stan — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Isabel — Bondi Beach, Australia
Live Twice — Singapore
No Sleep Club — Singapore
Tell Camellia — Hong Kong, China
Will’s — Coogee Beach, Australia
Bar Biltmore — Toronto, Canada
Bar Mordecai — Toronto, Canada
jjacques — Québec, Canada
Mother Cocktail Bar — Toronto, Canada
Noble – Halifax, Canada
Pablo — Edmonton, Canada
Parliament Pub & Parlour — Montreal, Canada
Stillife — Montreal, Canada
Supernova Ballroom — Toronto, Canada
The Raven Room — Whistler, Canada
A bar called Gemma — Stockholm, Sweden
Barro Negro — Athens, Greece
Callooh Callay Chelsea — London, UK
Davies and Brook — London, UK
Kwānt — London, UK
Lucy’s Flower Shop — Stockholm, Sweden
Monkey Mash — Lisbon, Portugal
Murder Inc. — London, UK
Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
The Mezzanine Bar — London, UK
Bon Vivants — Nassau, Bahamas
Brasero Atlântico — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Café Ocampo — Mexico City, Mexico
Las Brujas — Mexico City, Mexico
Madre Café — Mexico City, Mexico
Selva Oaxaca Cocktail Bar — Oaxaca, Mexico
Spirit Copa — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ticuchi — Mexico City, Mexico
Tres Monos — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Yellow Bird Bar — Mexico City, Mexico
Amazonico Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Gin Club Supreme — Tel Aviv, Israel
Vicious Virgin Bar — Cape Town, South Africa
West — Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
“In unprecedented times, it’s more important than ever to stay connected to and celebrate our phenomenal community,” shares Caroline Rosen, President of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. “These professionals have worked tirelessly for years, honing their craft and, really, taking care of others. We are honored to take this opportunity to thank them for their contributions. Congratulations to all of this year’s regional honorees!”
Below is a list of Spirited Awards® Chairs, responsible for overseeing the judging process this year:
Spirited Awards Overall Chair — Charlotte Voisey
Spirited Awards International Chair — Jacob Briars
Central U.S. Co-Chairs — Bridget Albert, Shaun Traxler
West U.S. Co-Chairs — Kiowa Bryan, Mary Palac
East U.S. Co-Chairs — Laura Cullen, Andy Seymour
Europe Co-Chairs — Guiseppe Gallo, Claire Warner
Canada Co-Chairs — Evelyn Chick, Lauren Mote
Middle East & Africa Co-Chairs — Richard Irwin, Stephanie Simbo
Latin America & Caribbean Co-Chairs — Camille Austin, Tato Giovannini
Asia Pacific Co-Chairs — Hayley Morrison, Micaela Piccolo
Writing & Media Co-Chairs — Paul Clarke, Sandrea Lawrence, Francois Monti, Matthew Rowley
Spirited Awards Chair Charlotte Voisey says, “I have heard from so many bars and bartenders that this is the hardest time they have ever had to get through. First and foremost our thoughts and efforts are focused on doing what we can to help the industry. That said we believe the role of the Spirited Awards to celebrate excellence in the industry remains as important now as ever. I am delighted to see the regional lists come through filled with tremendous bars and teams all over the world. The regional round continues to allow us to celebrate more bars in more places each year.”
Spirited Awards® judges are a collection of respected bartenders, bar owners, educators, and writers from across the globe entrusted with this critical calling. Drawing on their years of experience and their knowledge of the current work being done locally, nationally, and internationally, together the judges can evaluate nominees from far and wide to ensure that the Spirited Awards® represents the breadth and diversity of the global drinks industry. Over the past year, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation worked with the regional chairs to ensure this year’s judging panel would be more geographically diverse and focused on recruiting more judges from mid-sized markets to better represent the range of the industry on a global scale. This is especially evident in the addition of three new Writing & Media Co-Chairs who span the globe for 2020.
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards® Committee is dedicated to valuing the inclusion of the communities we serve by ensuring that our judging panel reflects their incredible diversity in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. Recognizing that inclusion is key to a well-represented committee, TOTCF strives to ensure that we have an equitable representation of gender across the judging panel. The Spirited Awards® are not based on popular vote and all nominations will be evaluated by their respective judging committees.
In keeping with the original 2020 timeline, overall Top 10 Nominees will be announced on May 4th, 2020, Top 4 Finalists will be named on June 1st, 2020, and Winners will be celebrated on July 25th, 2020.
The Foundation realizes this announcement will raise many valid questions regarding the future of Tales of the Cocktail’s annual festival in New Orleans, currently slated for July 21-26, 2020. Like many organizations and events worldwide, we are continuing to follow the rapidly changing guidance from the CDC and our local and state governments’ advice to arrive at the most appropriate decision that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of our entire community. We are committed to remaining transparent with you, even when we don’t have all of the answers. Undoubtedly, Tales will look different this year than it has in the past. We are optimistically planning to share a more comprehensive update on our plans come May 2020, when more timely information and guidance becomes available.
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About Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is a non-profit organization that educates, advances and supports the global hospitality industry and creates lasting impact in our host communities. Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is the global leader in spirits education and a platform to tackle issues facing the industry. The pillars of the Foundation are to Educate, Advance and Support the hospitality industry through programs that benefit individuals and organizations in the community and to make a lasting impact in communities that host our events. For more information on Tales of the Cocktail, please visit talesofthecocktail.org
Media Inquiries:
Gia Vecchio, [email protected], 917.280.5043
