GSN Alert: Top 10 nominees for this year’s Spirited Awards

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is honored to announce the Top 10 nominees for this year’s Spirited Awards^®. The Foundation remains committed to keeping our industry connected during COVID-19 and will host its annual festival and the 14th annual Spirited Awards^® in a primarily digital format this year. The organization is hopeful that come July 21, 2020, the scheduled start of Tales, there will be smaller, in-person events hosted wherever it is safe and advisable to do so in accordance with the CDC and state and local guidance.

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 with more geographic diversity than we’ve ever seen before — a testament to the hospitality industry’s continued participation in recognizing the incredible hard work and achievements of our colleagues.

2020 Spirited Awards^® Top 10 Nominees (listed in alphabetical order):

AMERICAN CATEGORIES

Best American Bar Team* presented by William Grant & Sons

Café La Trova — Miami, FL
Existing Conditions — New York, NY
Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
Lost Lake — Chicago, IL
Navy Strength — Seattle, WA
Nickel City — Austin, TX
Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
Paper Plane — San Jose, CA
Sweet Liberty — Miami, FL
The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX
Williams & Graham — Denver, CO

*Includes 11 nominees due to a tie

Best American Bar Mentor presented by BARSMARTS

Tony Abou-Ganim
Bridget Albert
Erick Casto
Laura Cullen
Alex Day
Anu Elford
Lynn House
Don Lee
Paul McGee
Nectaly Mendoza

American Bartender of the Year presented by Pernod Ricard

Kevin Diedrich — Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA
Marco Dionysos — ABV, San Francisco, CA
Ricky Gomez — Palomar, Portland, OR
Chris Hannah — Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
Alex Jump — Death & Co, Denver, CO
Julia Momose — Kumiko, Chicago, IL
Mary Palac — Paper Plane, San Jose, CA
Ezra Star — Drink, Boston, MA
Masahiro Urushido — Katana Kitten, New York, NY
Christine Wiseman — Broken Shaker, Los Angeles, CA

Best American Brand Ambassador presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Kiowa Bryan — Spiribam Fine R(h)um Specialists
Tad Carducci — Amaro Montenegro
Tracie Franklin — Glenfiddich
Vance Henderson — Hendrick’s Gin
Misty Kalkofen — Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
Robin Nance — Beam Suntory
Trevor Schneider — Reyka Vodka
Willy Shine — MAST – Jagermeister USA
Dominic Venegas — Pernod Ricard USA
Daniel Warrilow — Campari America Italian Portfolio

Best American Cocktail Bar presented by Pernod Ricard

Bar Goto — New York, NY
Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 — New Orleans, LA
Best Intentions — Chicago, IL
Drink — Boston, MA
Katana Kitten — New York, NY
Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
Pearl Diver — Nashville, TN
Raised by Wolves — San Diego, CA
Rob Roy — Seattle, WA
Trick Dog — San Francisco, CA

Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar presented by Grey Goose

ABV — San Francisco, CA
Anvil — Houston, TX
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour — Phoenix, AZ
Café La Trova — Miami, FL
Ghost Donkey — New York, NY
Nickel City — Austin, TX
Sweet Liberty — Miami, FL
The Dead Rabbit — New York, NY
The NoMad Bar — New York, NY
The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX

Best American Hotel Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Broken Shaker at Freehand Hotel — Los Angeles, CA
Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel — New York, NY
Death & Co at the Ramble Hotel — Denver, CO
Elephant Bar at the NoMad Hotel — New York, NY
Hey Love at The Jupiter — Portland, OR
Le Sirenuse Champagne Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club — Miami, FL
Libertine Social at the Mandalay Bay — Las Vegas, NV
Mr. COCO at the Palms Casino Resort — Las Vegas, NV
Proof on Main at 21c Museum Hotel — Louisville, KY
The Spare Room at The Hollywood Roosevelt — Los Angeles, CA

Best American Restaurant Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Bad Hunter — Chicago, IL
Better Luck Tomorrow — Houston, TX
Cleaver — Las Vegas, NV
Eleven Madison Park — New York, NY
Gramercy Tavern — New York, NY
Grey Ghost — Detroit, MI
Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
Jimmy’s — Aspen, CO
Otium — Los Angeles, CA
The Silver Dollar — Louisville, KY

Best New American Cocktail Bar presented by Heaven Hill

Bar Goto Niban — Brooklyn, NY
Bar Marilou — New Orleans, LA
Belle Époque — New Orleans, LA
Boat Drinks — St. Augustine, FL
Century Grand — Phoenix, AZ
Crown Shy — New York, NY
Elda — San Francisco, CA
Scotch Lodge — Portland, OR
Silver Lyan — Washington, D.C.
Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, CA

INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES

Best International Bar Team* presented by House of Angostura

Alquímico — Cartagena, Colombia
El Copitas Bar — St. Petersburg, Russia
La Factoría — San Juan, Puerto Rico
Lyaness at Sea Containers London — London, UK
Manhattan at Regent Singapore — Singapore
MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
Sober Company — Shanghai, China
The Clumsies — Athens, Greece
The Connaught Bar — London, UK
Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain

*Includes 11 nominees due to a tie

Best International Bar Mentor presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Simone Caporale
Aaron Diaz Olivos
Renato Giovannoni
Shingo Gokan
Alex Kratena
Chris Lowder
Dre Masso
Lauren Mote
Agostino Perrone
Carina Soto Velasquez

International Bartender of the Year presented by Martini & Rossi

Claudia Cabrera — Kaito de Valle, Mexico City, Mexico
Andrea Gualdi — Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia
Bannie Kang — MU, Taipei, Taiwan
José Luis León — Ritual H Bars, Mexico City, Mexico
Kelsey Ramage — Supernova Ballroom, Toronto, Canada
Remy Savage — Le Syndicat, Paris, France
Marcio Silva — Guilhotina Bar, São Paulo, Brazil
Kaitlyn Stewart — Royal Dinette, Vancouver, Canada
Luke Whearty — Byrdi, Melbourne, Australia
Matt Whiley — Scout London & Sydney, UK

Best International Brand Ambassador presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Camille Austin — Casa Lumbre
Dickie Cullimore — Bacardi Limited
Diego Ferrari — Matusalem Rum
Paulo Figueiredo — Ketel One
Audrey Hands — Havana Club
Martin Hudak — Mr Black Spirits
Daniyel Jones — The House of Angostura
Dave Mitton — Lot No. 40 & J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky
Luca Missaglia — Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
Nicola Riske — The Macallan & Edrington Malts

Best International Cocktail Bar presented by Tequila Fortaleza

CARNAVAL — Lima, Peru
Floreria Atlántico — Buenos Aires, Argentina
MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
Native — Singapore
Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
Speak Low — Shanghai, China
Swift — London, UK
The Old Man — Hong Kong, China
Three Sheets — London, UK
Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain

Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar presented by Beam Suntory

Alquímico — Cartagena, Colombia
Employees Only — Singapore
Freni e Frizioni — Rome, Italy
HIMKOK — Oslo, Norway
La Factoría — San Juan, Puerto Rico
Licorería Limantour — Mexico City, Mexico
Panda & Sons — Edinburgh, Scotland
The Baxter Inn — Sydney, Australia
The Clumsies — Athens, Greece
Trailer Happiness — London, UK

Best International Hotel Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Artesian at The Langham — London, UK
Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Hotel — Mexico City, Mexico
Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel — Singapore
Lyaness at Sea Containers London — London, UK
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 Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental — Bangkok, Thailand
The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy Hotel — London, UK
The Donovan Bar at the Brown’s Hotel — London, UK

Best International Restaurant Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

ámaZ — Lima, Peru
Bar Kismet — Halifax, Canada
Continental Deli Bar Bistro — Newtown, Australia
Le Mary Celeste — Paris, France
Restaurant Hubert — Sydney, Australia
Sexy Fish — London, UK
Sober Company — Shanghai, China
SubAstor – São Paulo, Brazil
Tippling Club — Singapore
Zuma Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Best New International Cocktail Bar presented by Stranger & Sons

Bar Margaux — Melbourne, Australia
Byrdi — Melbourne, Australia
Café Ocampo — Mexico City, Mexico
Kwānt — London, UK
Mother Cocktail Bar — Toronto, Canada
No Sleep Club — Singapore
Stillife — Montreal, Canada
Supernova Ballroom — Toronto, Canada
Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
Tres Monos — Buenos Aires, Argentina

WRITING & MEDIA CATEGORIES

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Class Magazine
Cocktail Lovers
Cocktail Wonk
Difford’s Guide
DRiNK Magazine Asia
Half Full
Liquor.com
The Daily Expo
The Spirits Business
VinePair

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

M. Carrie Allan, “Chartreuse liqueur’s popularity has soared. But how do you market the elixir without offending the monks who make it?” The Washington Post
Céline Bossart, “Sexism in the Bartending World is Real. Here Are Some Ways to Handle It,” Liquor.com
Wayne Curtis, “Mixopedia: Under Foot,” Imbibe
Philip Duff, “Duff Said: Unwise Investments,” Drinks International
Aaron Goldfarb, “JaNee: Where is She Now,” PUNCH
Kara Newman, “Can There Be Terroir in Spirits?” Wine Enthusiast
Becky Paskin, “The Case for Drinking Scotch in Tiki Cocktails,” The Daily Beast
Matt Pietrek, “Can the U.S Recognize Rum Regulations?” Cocktail Wonk
Clay Risen, “Yes, African-Americans Drink Bourbon. You’d Never Know It From the Marketing,” The New York Times
Hamish Smith, “New Yawk Boyz!” Class Magazine

Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Bar Chef: Handcrafted Cocktails By Christiaan Rollich and Carolynn Carreño
Cocktails with a Twist by Kara Newman
Great Northern Cocktails by Shawn Soole
Miami Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Magic City by Gabriel Urrutia
Minimalist Tiki: A Cocktail Wonk Look at Classic Libations and the Modern Tiki Vanguard by Matt Pietrek
Schofield’s Fine and Classic Cocktails: Celebrated Libations & Other Fancy Drinks by Daniel Schofield and Joe Schofield
Sip: 100 Gin Cocktails with Only Three Ingredients by Sipsmith
The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World’s Greatest Drink, with Recipes by Robert Simonson
The NoMad Cocktail Book by Leo Robitschek
Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails by Shannon Mustipher

Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History or Spirits* presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

Amaro Italiano by Matteo Zed
Drunk in China: Baijiu and the World’s Oldest Drinking Culture by Derek Sandhaus
Last Call: Bartenders on Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time by Brad Thomas Parsons
Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World by Derek Brown and Robert Yule
The Complete Whiskey Course: A Comprehensive Tasting School in Ten Classes by Robin Robinson
The Tequila Dictionary: An A–Z of All Things Tequila, Mezcal and Agave Spirits by Eric Zandona
The World Atlas of Gin: Explore the Gins of More Than 50 Countries by Joel Harrison & Neil Ridley
Understanding Spirits: Explaining Style and Quality by WSET