The 16th Annual Spirited Awards celebrates global excellence in the drinks industry and recognizes professionals, organizations, and establishments shaping the cocktail community.
NEW ORLEANS, LA (June 2, 2022) — Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is honored to announce the Top 10 Nominees for the 16th annual Spirited Awards®, as the foundation continues to recognize the depth of talent across our global spirits community. Since its founding in 2007, the Spirited Awards® have become one of the industry’s most sought-after awards, recognizing beverage professionals, products, and establishments across every facet of the spirits and cocktail community on a global scale. In partnership with Forbes, the Spirited Awards® official media partner, TOTCF will honor recipients during the Tales of the Cocktail® (TOTC) conference, which is returning for an in-person celebration in New Orleans from July 25-29, 2022.
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.
“It’s been a challenging couple of years for bars and restaurants, but these nominees are a reflection of the strong spirit of our industry in spite of challenges – bold new openings, bars and bartenders who continue to strive for excellence, and a whole lot of hard-working staff who deserve amazing recognition and our support,” said Jacob Briars, Spirited Awards International Chair. “As our world opens up again, these nominees should be at the top of your list when deciding where to go next and what to drink there.”
In that spirit, the Foundation is proud to announce the Top 10 Nominees, broken into U.S., International, Media & Writing, and Global categories.
2022 Spirited Awards® Top 10 Nominees (in alphabetical order):
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES
International Bartender of the Year presented by Patrón
- Moe Aljaff — Two Schmucks, Barcelona, Spain
- Lorenzo Antinori — ARGO / Four Seasons Hotel & Resorts, Hong Kong, China
- Giorgio Bargiani — The Connaught Bar, London, UK
- Kate Boushel — Atwater Cocktail Club / Milky Way Cocktail Bar, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- James Grant — Little HK, Edmonton, Canada
- Keith Motsi — Charles H. Seoul at the Four Seasons Hotel, Seoul, South Korea
- Rémy Savage — 🔶🟥🔵 A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London, UK
- Daniel Schofield — SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester, UK
- Ezra Star — Mostly Harmless, Hong Kong, China
- Luke Whearty — BYRDI, Melbourne, Australia
- Matt Whiley — RE, Sydney, Australia
Best International Bar Mentor presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic
- Monica Berg
- Arijit Bose
- Simone Caporale
- Renato “Tato” Giovannoni
- Tim Etherington Judge
- Trevor Kallies
- Dre Masso
- Lauren Mote
- Danil Nevsky
- Agostino Perrone
- Christina Veira
- Camille Vidal
*Includes 12 nominees due to a tie
Best International Brand Ambassador presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic
- Jenna Ba — Diageo
- Claudia Cabrera — Fratelli Branca
- Irene Díaz — Ron Diplomático
- Martin Hudák — Mr Black Spirits
- Daniyel Jones — House of Angostura
- Ally Martin — Hendrick’s Gin
- Dave Mitton — Lot No. 40 / J.P. Wiser’s
- Ricardo Nava — Bacardí Latin America
- Tim Phillips-Johansson — Johnnie Walker
- Nicola Riske — The Macallan
Best International Bar Team presented by House of Angostura
- ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena, Colombia
- Atwater Cocktail Club — Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel — Singapore
- La Factoría — San Juan, Puerto Rico
- MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
- Salmon Guru — Madrid, Spain
- Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
- The Clumsies — Athens, Greece
- Tres Monos — Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain
Best International Cocktail Bar presented by Tequila Fortaleza
- ALQUIMICO — Cartagena, Colombia
- Atwater Cocktail Club — Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen & Cape Brandy Bar — Cape Town, South Africa
- COA — Hong Kong, China
- Florería Atlántico — Buenos Aires, Argentina
- MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
- Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
- Salmon Guru — Madrid, Spain
- Satan’s Whiskers — London, UK
- Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
- Three Sheets — London, UK
- Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain
*Includes 12 nominees due to a tie
Best International Hotel Bar presented by Perrier
- Bar Trigona at the Four Seasons Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel — Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bulgari Bar at The Bvlgari Resort — Dubai, UAE
- Charles H. Seoul at the Four Seasons Hotel — Seoul, South Korea
- Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Hotel — Mexico City, Mexico
- Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel — Singapore
- Lyaness at Sea Containers London — London, UK
- MO BAR at the Mandarin Oriental — Singapore
- Origin Bar at The Shangri-La Hotel — Singapore
- The American Bar at The Stafford London — London, UK
- The Donovan Bar at the Brown’s Hotel — London, UK
*Includes 11 nominees due to a tie
Best International Restaurant Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
- Bar Kismet — Halifax, NS, Canada
- Caffe Fernet — Singapore
- Danico — Paris, France
- Le Mary Celeste — Paris, France
- Locale Firenze — Florence, Italy
- LPM Restaurant & Bar — Dubai, UAE
- Pujol — Mexico City, Mexico
- Sexy Fish — London, UK
- The Continental Deli — Newtown, Australia
- Tjoget — Stockholm, Sweden
- Zuma Dubai — Dubai, UAE
*Includes 11 nominees due to a tie
Best New International Cocktail Bar presented by Stranger & Sons
- 🔶🟥🔵 A Bar with Shapes for a Name — London, UK
- Amaro Bar — London, UK
- ARGO — Hong Kong, China
- Dead End Paradise — Beirut, Lebanon
- DEAN & NANCY — Sydney, Australia
- RE — Sydney, Australia
- Schofield’s Bar — Manchester, UK
- Side Hustle at the NoMad — London, UK
- SIPS — Barcelona, Spain
- Wax On — Berlin, Germany
U.S. CATEGORIES
U.S. Bartender of the Year presented by Del Maguey
- Josh Davis — 16th Street Bar, Chicago, IL
- Chris Elford — Trade Winds Tavern, Navy Strength, Rob Roy, Here Today Brewing, Seattle, WA
- Chris Hannah — Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
- Caer Maiko Ferguson — DrinkWell, Austin, TX
- Chris McMillian — Revel Bar & Cafe, New Orleans, LA
- Shauna O’Neil — Sweet Liberty, Miami, FL
- Kapri Robinson — Allegory, Washington, DC
- Christian Suzuki-Orellana — Wildhawk, San Francisco, CA
- Masahiro “Masa” Urushido — Katana Kitten, New York, NY
- Christine Wiseman — BarLab Hospitality Group, Miami, FL
Best U.S. Bar Mentor presented by BarSmarts
- Colin Asare-Appiah
- Julio Cabrera
- Kevin Diedrich
- Meaghan Dorman
- Alba Huerta
- Alex Jump
- Sean Kenyon
- ms franky marshall
- Nectaly Mendoza
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Best U.S. Brand Ambassador presented by Libbey Glass
- Kiowa Bryan — Spiribam
- Chris Cabrera — Bacardí USA
- Tad Carducci — Gruppo Montenegro
- Cameron George — Ardbeg
- Vance Henderson — Hendrick’s Gin
- Lynn House — Heaven Hill
- Jenna Murray — The Glenlivet
- Natasha Sofia Velez — Davos Brands
- Ryan Wainwright — Bombay Sapphire
- Daniel Warrilow — Campari America
Best U.S. Bar Team presented by William Grant & Sons
- Attaboy — New York, NY
- Cleaver – Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails — Las Vegas, NV
- Half Step — Austin, TX
- Jaguar Sun — Miami, FL
- Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
- Katana Kitten — New York, NY
- The Long Island Bar — Brooklyn, NY
- The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX
- The Snug — Sacramento, CA
- Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, CA
Best U.S. Cocktail Bar presented by Absolut Vodka
- Bar Goto — New York, NY
- Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 — New Orleans, LA
- Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour — Phoenix, AZ
- DrinkWell — Austin, TX
- Julep — Houston, TX
- Katana Kitten — New York, NY
- Occidental — Denver, CO
- Pearl Diver — Nashville, TN
- The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX
- Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, CA
Best U.S. Hotel Bar presented by Grey Goose
- Bar Marilou at Maison de la Luz — New Orleans, LA
- Champagne Bar at The Surf Club Miami — Miami, FL
- Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel — New York, NY
- Hey Love at The Jupiter — Portland, OR
- King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York — New York, NY
- Libertine Social at the Mandalay Bay — Las Vegas, NV
- Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott — Phoenix, AZ
- Midnight Rambler at the Joule — Dallas, TX
- Mountaineering Club at the Graduate Seattle Hotel — Seattle, WA
- Silver Lyan at the Riggs Washington DC — Washington, DC
Best U.S. Restaurant Bar presented by Maison Ferrand
- Café La Trova — Miami, FL
- Cleaver – Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails — Las Vegas, NV
- Crown Shy — New York, NY
- Gramercy Tavern — New York, NY
- Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
- Kimball House — Decatur, GA
- Kumiko — Chicago, IL
- L’Oursin — Seattle, WA
- Republique — Los Angeles, CA
- Spoon and Stable — Minneapolis, MN
Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar presented by Aviation Gin
- Double Chicken Please — New York, NY
- Happy Accidents — Albuquerque, NM
- Kona’s Street Market — San Francisco, CA
- Law Bird — Columbus, OH
- Overstory — New York, NY
- Palmetto — Oakland, CA
- Temple Bar — New York, NY
- Tiki Tatsu-Ya — Austin, TX
- Trade Winds Tavern — Seattle, WA
- Yacht Club — Denver, CO
WRITING & MEDIA CATEGORIES
Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Diageo Bar Academy
- CLASS magazine
- Difford’s Guide
- Discard the Zine
- DRiNK Magazine Asia
- Drinks International
- Liquor.com
- The Cocktail Lovers magazine
- The Spirits Business
- VinePair
- Whisky Magazine
Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series presented by Diageo Bar Academy
- A Life In Whisky: The Dennis Malcolm Story (A documentary by Whisky Magazine)
- Behind the Bar with Cara Devine
- El Club de los Cantineros (Documentary)
- Freepour™
- Happy Hour History
- “Hospitality Forward” Podcast by Hanna Lee Communications
- Radio Imbibe
- Shōshin Art Club
- The Cocktail Lovers Podcast
- The Speakeasy Podcast
Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing presented by Diageo Bar Academy
- “Get Real: The bar world looks beyond feel-good measures on sustainability and climate change” by Max Falkowitz, for Imbibe Magazine
- “Getting high from a new supply: a revolutionary flavour extraction method for cocktails is being pioneered in South Africa” by Leah van Deventer, for TheWorlds50Best.com
- “Has the Coronavirus Pandemic Destroyed American Bar Culture?” by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, for Daily Beast
- “Making it Through: How a Bar’s Regulars Helped During a Pandemic,” by Rebecca Cate as told to Paul Clarke, Imbibe
- “Marc Farrell Wants to Change the Way You Think About Rum” by Yolanda Evans, for Food & Wine
- “Meet the Eco-Packaging Innovations Transforming the Drinks Industry” by Betsy Andrews, for SevenFifty Daily
- “Mexican Terroir” by Liza Weisstuch, for Whisky Magazine
- “The Greatest Drinking Contest in History” by David Wondrich, for Daily Beast
- “The Hard Reset – Creating a New Hospitality Culture” by Anna Sebastian, for CLASS
- “Turns Out Rye Whiskey Isn’t an American Creation After All” by Lew Bryson, for Daily Beast
Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic
- Claridge’s The Cocktail Book by Denis Broci and Nathan McCarley-O’Neill
- COCKTAIL DIVE BAR: Real Drinks, Fake History, and Questionable Advice from New Orleans’s Twelve Mile Limit by T. Cole Newton
- Death & Co: Welcome Home by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan
- Difford’s Guide to Cocktails Sixteenth Edition by Simon Difford
- Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails by Robert Simonson
- The Cocktail Seminars by Brian D. Hoefling
- The Japanese Art of the Cocktail by Masahiro Urushido and Michael Anstendig
- The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes by Julia Momosé with Emma Janzen
- Tokyo Cocktails by Nicholas Coldicott
- Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking by Elva Ramirez
Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits presented by Diageo Bar Academy
- A Good Drink: In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits by Shanna Farrell
- Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey by Clay Risen
- Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland
- Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara
- L’Ora dell’Americano by Mauro Mahjoub & Lucio Tucci
- Something & Tonic by Nick Kokonas
- The Big Book of Amaro by Matteo Zed
- The New Kindred Spirits by F. Paul Pacult
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails edited by David Wondrich with Noah Rothbaum
- The Spirit of Rye by Carlo DeVito
GLOBAL CATEGORIES
Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
- Abasolo Ancestral Corn Whisky
- ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters
- Citadelle Gin Jardin d’été
- Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Vida de Muertos
- Equiano Light Rum
- Fever-Tree Sparkling Lime & Yuzu
- Fever-Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit
- Hendrick’s Lunar Gin
- Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic – Italian Orange
- Nixta Licor de Elote
- Lost Irish
- Ojo de Tigre Mezcal Artesanal
- SAVOIA Americano
*Includes 13 nominees due to a tie
World’s Best Cocktail Menu presented by Diageo Bar Academy
- ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
- Dante NYC — New York, NY
- Himkok — Oslo, Norway
- Little Red Door — Paris, France
- Lyaness at Sea Containers London — London, UK
- Mace Bar — New York, NY
- Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
- Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood London — London, UK
- Swift Soho — London, UK
- Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
World’s Best Spirits Selection presented by Beam Suntory
- ATLA — New York, NY
- Brandy Library — New York, NY
- In-Situ Mezcaleria — Oaxaca City, Mexico
- Jack Rose Dining Saloon — Washington, DC
- Origin Bar at The Shangri-La Hotel — Singapore
- Rumba — Seattle, WA
- Sexy Fish — London, UK
- Swift Soho — London, UK
- The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash — Chicago, IL
- The Doctor’s Office — Seattle, WA
The Spirited Awards Chairs and Co-Chairs
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
- Asia Pacific Co-Chairs
- Lorenzo Antinori
- Pankaj Balachandran
- Hayley Morison
- Charmaine Thio
- Canada Co-Chairs
- Evelyn Chick
- Sabrine Dhaliwal
- Europe Co-Chairs
- Guiseppe Gallo
- Nicola Riske
- Latin America & Caribbean Co-Chairs
- Camille Austin
- Jean Trinh
- Tato Giovannini
- Middle East & Africa Co-Chairs
- Cassandra Eichhoff
- Richard Irwin
- U.S. Central Co-Chairs
- Bridget Albert
- Steva Casey
- U.S. East Co-Chairs
- Laura Cullen
- Andy Seymour
- U.S. West Co-Chairs
- Kiowa Bryan
- Mary Palac
- Writing & Media Co-Chairs
- François Monti
- Paul Clarke
- Matthew Rowley
- Sandrae Lawrence
- Timeless Co-Chair
- Christine Sismondo
- Colin Asare-Appiah
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.
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.
To learn more about the Spirited Awards Committee and awards criteria, please visit the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards page.
Spirited Awards® 2022 + Directory
Keeping up with the original 2022 schedule the Top 4 Finalists will be named on June 21, 2022, and the Winners will be celebrated on July 28, 2022 at the Spirited Awards® ceremony.
- Helen David Lifetime Achievement presented by William Grant & Sons
- Pioneer Award presented by The Blend
- Timeless U.S Award presented by Johnnie Walker
- Timeless International Award presented by Jägermeister
- World’s Best Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Tales of the Cocktail is thrilled to share the Spirited Awards® Directory in partnership with marquee sponsor Diageo Bar Academy with support from Angostura, Bacardi Limited, CAMPARI, Elijah Craig, Hendricks Gin, Tequila Fortaleza, and The Blend. Giving discerning imbibers a comprehensive compendium of all 900+ Spirited Awards winners and nominees from the past 15 years, the Directory is an interactive, global map created to easily guide guests to officially recognized Spirited Awards establishments.
This resource will be updated year over year, making it an easy-to-use tool to plan which bars to visit at home or when traveling. Use the Spirited Awards® Directory today to explore award-winning bars, including 183 bars added this year.
A Note on Sponsors
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation would like to thank all of its Spirited Awards sponsors. Title Partners: Diageo Bar Academy, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic, Pernod Ricard (Absolut Vodka, BarSmarts, and Del Maguey); Presenting Partners: Bacardi (Grey Goose and Patron), Beam Suntory and The Blend, William Grant & Sons; Supporting Partners: Aviation Gin, House of Angostura, Jägermeister, Johnnie Walker, Libbey Glass, Maison Ferrand, Perrier, Stranger & Sons, Tequila Fortaleza; Official Barware: Bull in China; Official Champagne: G.H. Mumm. Tales of the Cocktail 2022 Official Partners include Official Glassware: Libbey Glass, Official Water: Perrier, and Official Water: Perrier.
Spirited Awards® 2022 Updates
In light of recent global events with the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine, and the humanitarian crisis that is ongoing in Ukraine and in Europe, the Spirited Awards Committee and Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Board will not consider nominees from Russia for this year’s awards. Similarly, the Spirited Awards currently has two sitting judges from Russia, both of whom mutually agreed to abstain from judging this year.
The Foundation stands in solidarity with colleagues and friends in the hospitality industry in Ukraine and to all citizens impacted by this catastrophic invasion. And, the organization acknowledges industry colleagues in Russia who do not support this war, but also have very limited ways to protest without risking their own personal safety. In the weeks and months to come, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation will announce further efforts to directly support the hospitality community of Ukraine.
Please follow along for additional information on the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, please visit the website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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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 a 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.
About Forbes:
Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 150 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 44 licensed local editions in 77 countries. Forbes Media’s brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements.
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