These nominees were chosen by an expert panel of judges as the world’s top bars, bartenders, writers and cocktail experts.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – June 9, 2015 – Following a rigorous evaluation of more than 2,000 nominees, Tales of the Cocktail® is proud to announce the top ten for each of the 24 award categories for the 9th Annual Spirited Awards®. Since 2007, the Spirited Awards® have recognized the year’s best bars, bartenders, writers and experts, becoming the industry’s most prestigious and coveted awards program. A panel of 100 American and International industry experts reviewed all nominees and voted to determine this year’s top 10 nominees.
“Since the first Spirited Awards in 2007, I have witnessed the cocktail movement go from strength to strength and each year the work of the Spirited Awards judging panel has become tougher and this year was no exception,” said Simon Ford, Spirited Awards® Chairman and awards show host. “We had thousands of nominations, which our judges had the almost impossible task of voting on to determine our final tens and ultimately our winners. Enjoy this list of great people and bars and please celebrate with the people who are being recognized this year.”
On Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), Simon Ford and Jacob Briars, International Committee Chairman, will announce the final four in each category live from San Francisco presented by Perfect Puree. All finalists will be invited to the Spirited Awards® ceremony, being held at the Sheraton New Orleans on Saturday, July 18, 2015 as part of the 13th Annual Tales of the Cocktail®. Each award recipient will receive the coveted Riedel Crystal trophy.
“There’s probably no greater honor than being recognized by one’s peers,” said Paul G. Tuennerman, Co-Founder of Tales of the Cocktail®. “The individuals, establishments, products, and publications recognized as finalists for the 2015 Spirited Awards are representative of an industry’s collective efforts to make the world a better place to drink.”
The 9th Annual Spirited Awards® are sponsored by The 86 Co., Bacardi USA, BarSmarts, Beefeater, Chivas, Cognac Ferrand, Courvoisier, House of Angostura, Luxardo, Nicolas Feuillate, The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley, Rums of Puerto Rico, Silencio Mezcal and William Grant & Sons. For more information about the Spirited Awards® ceremony, visit TalesoftheCocktail.com.
2015 Spirited Awards® Top 10 Finalists
American Categories
Best American Bar Team
- ABV (San Francisco)
- Anvil Bar & Refuge (Houston)
- Attaboy (New York)
- Clover Club (Brooklyn)
- Dead Rabbit (New York)
- Drink (Boston)
- Employees Only (New York)
- Herbs and Rye (Las Vegas)
- The NoMad Bar (New York)
- Williams & Graham (Denver)
American Bartender of the Year
- Jeff Bell (New York)
- Tim Cooper (New York)
- Marcovaldo Dionysos (San Francisco)
- Chris Hannah (New Orleans)
- Bobby Heugel (Houston)
- John Lermayer (Miami)
- Ivy Mix (New York)
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Portland)
- Leo Robitschek (New York)
- Pamela Wiznitzer (New York)
Best American Brand Ambassador
- Brooke Arthur (House Spirits)
- Colin Asare-Appiah (Bacardi)
- Elayne Duff (Diageo)
- Jamie Gordon (Absolut Elyx)
- Guillaume Lamy (Cognac Ferrand)
- Bernie Lubbers (Heaven Hill)
- Anne Louise Marquis (Marnier Lapostolle)
- Johnnie “The Scott” Mundell (Auchentoshan & Bowmore)
- Chris Patino (Pernod-Ricard)
- Nicola Riske (Edrington)
Best American Cocktail Bar
- Anvil Bar & Refuge (Houston)
- Attaboy (New York)
- Aviary (Chicago)
- Canon (Seattle)
- Maison Premiere (Brooklyn)
- Prizefighter (Emeryville)
- Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)
- The Varnish (Los Angeles)
- Trick Dog (San Francisco)
- Williams & Graham (Denver)
Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar
- Celeste (Chicago)
- Employees Only (New York)
- Flatiron Lounge (New York)
- Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles)
- Herbs & Rye (Las Vegas)
- Honeycut (Los Angeles)
- Pegu Club (New York)
- Shady Lady (Sacramento)
- Sportsman’s Club (Chicago)
- Three Dots and a Dash (Chicago)
Best American Hotel Bar
- 15 Romolo (San Francisco)
- Ace Hotel Downtown LA (Los Angeles)
- Bellocq (New Orleans)
- Breslin at Ace (New York)
- Proof on Main (Louisville)
- Sable Kitchen and Bar (Chicago)
- Sazerac at Roosevelt (New Orleans)
- Spare Room (Los Angeles)
- The Broken Shaker (Miami Beach)
- The Hawthorne (Boston)
Best American Restaurant Bar
- Acorn (Denver)
- Bestia (Los Angeles)
- Betony (New York)
- Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks (Boston)
- Eveleigh (Los Angeles)
- Gramercy Tavern (New York)
- No. 9 Park (Boston)
- Nopa (San Francisco)
- Scopa Italian Roots (Los Angeles)
- The Rieger Hotel Grill and Exchange (Kansas City)
Best New American Cocktail Bar
- ABV (San Francisco)
- Boilermaker (New York City)
- Dear Irving (New York)
- Julep (Houston)
- Latitude 29 (New Orleans)
- Lost Lake (Chicago)
- Seamstress (New York)
- The Happiest Hour (New York)
- The NoMad Bar (New York)
- The Normandie Club (Los Angeles)
International Categories
Best International Bar Team
- 28 Hong Kong Street (Singapore)
- American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London)
- Baxter Inn (Sydney)
- Black Pearl (Melbourne)
- Le Lion Bar de Paris (Hamburg)
- Licoreria Limantour Roma (Mexico City)
- Nightjar (London)
- Schumann’s American Bar (Munich)
- The Connaught Bar (London)
- White Lyan (London)
International Bartender of the Year
- Marian Beke (London)
- Ryan Chetiyawardana (London)
- Gareth Evans (London)
- Shingo Gokan (Shanghai)
- Zdenek Kastanek (Singapore)
- Chris Moore (London)
- Tim Philips (Sydney)
- Carina Tsou (Paris)
- Hidetsugu Ueno (Tokyo)
- Charles Vexenat (Ibiza)
Best International Brand Ambassador
- Ian Burrell (Global Rum)
- Dean Callan (Monkey Shoulder)
- Max La Rocca (Diageo World Class)
- Louis Xavier Lewis-Smith (Sailor Jerry)
- Joe McCanta (Grey Goose)
- George Nemec (Becherovka)
- Shervene Shahbazkhani (Bacardi)
- Claire Smith-Warner (Belvedere Vodka)
- Camille Vidal (St. Germain)
- Max Warner (Chivas)
Best International Cocktail Bar
- Artesian (London)
- Buck & Breck (Berlin)
- Candelaria (Paris)
- Happiness Forgets (London)
- Hemingway Bar (Prague)
- High Five (Tokyo)
- Le Lion Bar de Paris (Hamburg)
- Nightjar (London)
- The Baxter Inn (Sydney)
- White Lyan (London)
Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar
- Callooh Callay (London)
- City Social (London)
- Eau de Vie (Melbourne)
- Lidkoeb (Copenhagen)
- Ruby (Copenhagen)
- The Black Pearl/The Attic (Melbourne)
- The Diamond (Vancouver)
- The Everleigh (Melbourne)
- The Lobo Plantation (Sydney)
- Trailer Happiness (London)
Best International Hotel Bar
- American Bar, The Savoy (London)
- Beaufort Bar, The Savoy (London)
- Black Angel’s Bar, Hotel U Prince (Prague)
- Coburg Bar, The Connaught (London)
- Lobster Bar, Island Shangri-La Hotel (Hong Kong)
- Manhattan, Regent Hotel (Singapore)
- Ohla, Ohla Hotel (Barcelona)
- The Punch Room, The Edition Hotel (London)
- Widder Bar, Widder Hotel (Zurich)
- Zetter Townhouse (London)
Best International Restaurant Bar
- Blind Pig at Social Eating House (London)
- China Tang (London)
- Delicatessen (Moscow)
- Duck & Waffle (London)
- Hawksmoor Spitalfields (London)
- Le Mary Celeste (Paris)
- Mash (London)
- The Red Bar at Bam-Bou (London)
- Tippling Club (Singapore)
- Zuma (Dubai)
Best New International Cocktail Bar
- Bar Termini (London)
- Baton Rouge (Paris)
- Cocktail Trading Co. (London)
- Dandelyan (London)
- Le Syndicat Cocktail Club (Paris)
- Mabel (Paris)
- Operation Dagger (Singapore)
- Seiberts Classic Bar & Liquid Kitchen (Cologne)
- The Clumsies (Athens)
- This Must Be The Place (Sydney)
Writing
Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication
- Alcademics.com
- Australian Bartender
- Difford’s Guide
- Food & Wine Magazine
- Ginger Magaziner
- Liquor.com
- Punch Drink
- Saveur Magazine
- The Cocktail Lovers
- The Spirits Business
Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer
- Jeff Berry
- Dave Broom
- Wayne Curtis
- Simon Difford
- Camper English
- Amy Hopkins
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- Leslie Pariseau
- Robert Simonson
- Naren Young
Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book
- Celebrity Cocktails by Brian Van Flandern
- Classic Cocktails (Updated Reissue) by Salvatore Calabrese
- Cocktails on Tap by Jacob Grier
- Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald, and Alex Day
- Futurist Mixology by Fulvio Piccinino
- Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold
- Shrubs: An Old-Fashioned Drink for Modern Times by Michael Dietsch
- The 12 Bottle Bar: A Dozen Bottles. Hundreds of Cocktails. A New Way to Drink. by David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson
- The Bar Book by Jeff Morgenthaler
- The Old-Fashioned by Robert Simonson
Best New Spirits Book
- American Spirit by James Rodewald
- Brooklyn Spirits: Craft Distilling and Cocktails from the World’s Hippest Borough by Peter Thomas Fornatale
- Distilled by Neil Ridley and Joel Harrison
- Gentlemen Bootleggers: The True Story of Templeton Rye, Prohibition, and a Small Town in Cahoots by Bryce T. Bauer
- Proof: The Science of Booze by Adam Rogers
- Sherry by Talia Baiocchi
- The Curious Bartender: An Odyssey of Malt Bourbon & Rye Whiskies by Tristan Stephenson
- Thinking Drinkers: The Enlightened Imbiber’s Guide to Alcohol by Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham
- Whisk(e)y Distilled, A Populist Guide to The Water Of Life by Heather Greene
- Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom
Overall Categories
Best Bar Mentor
- Bridget Albert (Chicago)
- Jacques Bezuidenhout (San Francisco)
- Tony Conigliaro (London)
- Jason Crawley (Sydney)
- Philip Duff (New York)
- Francesco Lafranconi (Las Vegas)
- Jim Meehan (Portland)
- Agostino Perrone (London)
- Andy Seymour (New York)
- Angus Winchester (God knows)
Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient
- Amaro di Angostura
- Balsam American Amaro
- Grey Goose V/X
- Rieger & Co. Kansas City Whiskey
- Mister Katz’s Rock and Rye
- Mr. Lyan’s Bottled Cocktails
- Redemption Rye Barrel Proof
- Small Hands Foods Yeoman Tonic Syrup
- Suze Bitters
- The Bitter Truth Cucumber Bitters
World’s Best Cocktail Menu
- Anvil Bar & Refuge (Houston)
- Artesian (London)
- Beaufort Bar at the Savoy (London)
- Canon (Seattle)
- Dandelyan (London)
- Dead Rabbit (New York)
- Nightjar (London)
- Pouring Ribbons (New York)
- The NoMad Bar (New York)
- Trick Dog (San Francisco)
World’s Best Spirits Selection
- Anvil Bar & Refuge (Houston)
- Canon (Seattle)
- Eau de Vie (Melbourne)
- Jack Rose Dining Saloon (Washington DC)
- Multnomah Whiskey Library (Portland)
- Scopa Italian Roots (Los Angeles)
- Silver Dollar (Louisville)
- The Baxter Inn (Sydney)
- The Office at The Aviary (Chicago)
- Tommy’s (San Francisco)
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®
The Spirits Are Calling. Will you answer? They’re calling you to New Orleans for five days of seminars, tastings, product launches, competitions, networking events and so much more at the world’s premier professional cocktail event. By just being a part of this spirited gathering you’ll help your fellow cocktail professionals around the world. Funds from Tales of the Cocktail® are invested back into the industry through scholarships, tuition reimbursements, training programs and financial aid. So join us as the international spirits community answers the call, returning for another spirited round of Tales of the Cocktail®.
About the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society
The New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society (NOCCPS) is a non-profit organization committed to preserving the unique cocktail culture in New Orleans and around the world through education and outreach. Every year the NOCCPS produces a number of events including Tales of the Cocktail®, Tales of the Cocktail® on Tour, and Tales of the Toddy® with proceeds being invested back into the international spirits community through educational programs, scholarships, training programs and financial aid.
For more information on Tales of the Cocktail®, visit the website at TalesoftheCocktail.com.
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