TOTC announces Spirited Awards finalists

Following a rigorous judging process, Tales of the Cocktail has revealed the top four finalists in each category of its 9^th annual Spirited Awards.

Tales of the Cocktail has announced the final four finalists in each category of its 9th annual Spirited Awards

Last week, the top 10 shortlisted bars, bartenders, writers, products and cocktail experts were announced, with judges analysing the largest nomination pool in the history of Tales of the Cocktail – the world’s premier spirits and cocktail festival.

Now these nominees have been whittled down to four finalists in each of the show’s 24 Spirited Award categories.

All award finalists are invited to attend the Spirited Awards ceremony on Saturday, 18 July at the Sheraton New Orleans where the winners will be announced live and will receive the Riedel crystal trophies.

“The Spirited Awards continues to recognise the very best bars, bartenders, ambassadors and more,” said Jacob Briars, chairman of the International Judging Committee for the Spirited Awards.

“The standard continues to rise all over the world, both fuelled by Tales and recognised by it. I am thrilled to see such wonderful international talent being recognised from around the globe, showing that the modern cocktail age continues to grow and expand. There’s never been a better time to enjoy a cocktail all over the world.”

Voting among 100 expert judges took place over one week. These votes were then checked by a “Super Committee” and tallied to determine the top 10 and top four finalists in each category.

This year’s Spirited Awards will feature a Cuban theme, and guests are encouraged to attend in their best Cuban attire. The ceremony is part of the 13^th annual Tales of the Cocktail taking place in New Orleans on 15-19 July.

Click through the following few pages to see the finalists for the Tales of the Cocktail 2015 Spirited Awards.

American categories

 

Best American Bar Team
ABV (San Francisco)
Dead Rabbit (New York)
Employees Only (New York)
Williams & Graham (Denver)

 

Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar

Employees Only (New York)
Flatiron Lounge (New York)
Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles)
Honeycut (Los Angeles)

 

American Bartender of the Year

Chris Hannah (New Orleans)
Bobby Heugel (Houston)
Ivy Mix (New York)
Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Portland)

 

Best American Hotel Bar

Sable Kitchen and Bar (Chicago)
Spare Room (Los Angeles)
The Broken Shaker (Miami Beach)
The Hawthorne (Boston)

 

Best American Brand Ambassador

Brooke Arthur (House Spirits)
Colin Asare-Appiah (Bacardi)
Jamie Gordon (Absolut Elyx)
Chris Patino (Pernod-Ricard)

 

Best American Restaurant Bar

Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks (Boston)
Gramercy Tavern (New York)
Nopa (San Francisco)
The Rieger Hotel Grill and Exchange (Kansas City)

 

Best American Cocktail Bar

Prizefighter (Emeryville)
Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)
Trick Dog (San Francisco)
Williams & Graham (Denver)

 

Best New American Cocktail Bar

ABV (San Francisco)
Julep (Houston)
Latitude 29 (New Orleans)
The NoMad Bar (New York)

International categories

 

Best International Bar Team

28 Hong Kong Street (Singapore)
American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London)
Black Pearl (Melbourne)
Le Lion Bar de Paris (Hamburg)

 

Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar

Callooh Callay (London)
Eau de Vie (Melbourne)
The Black Pearl/The Attic (Melbourne)
Trailer Happiness (London)

 

International Bartender of the Year

Marian Beke (London)
Ryan Chetiyawardana (London)
Zdenek Kastanek (Singapore)
Hidetsugu Ueno (Tokyo)

 

Best International Hotel Bar

American Bar, The Savoy (London)
Beaufort Bar, The Savoy (London)
The Punch Room, The Edition Hotel (London)
Zetter Townhouse (London)

 

Best International Brand Ambassador

Ian Burrell (Global Rum)
Dean Callan (Monkey Shoulder)
George Nemec (Becherovka)
Claire Smith-Warner (Belvedere Vodka)

 

Best International Restaurant Bar

Blind Pig at Social Eating House (London)
Hawksmoor Spitalfields (London)
Tippling Club (Singapore)
Zuma (Dubai)

 

Best International Cocktail Bar

Artesian (London)
Candelaria (Paris)
Happiness Forgets (London)
White Lyan (London)

 

Best New International Cocktail Bar

Bar Termini (London)
Dandelyan (London)
Le Syndicat Cocktail Club (Paris)
The Clumsies (Athens)

Writing Categories

 

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication

Difford’s Guide
Liquor.com
PUNCH
The Cocktail Lovers

 

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book

Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald, and Alex Day
Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold
The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
The Old-Fashioned by Robert Simonson

 

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer

Dave Broom
Camper English
Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Robert Simonson

 

Best New Spirits Book

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
Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom

Overall Categories

 

Best Bar Mentor

Bridget Albert (Chicago)
Francesco Lafranconi (Las Vegas
Jim Meehan (Portland)
Angus Winchester (London)

 

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

Artesian (London)
Beaufort Bar at the Savoy (London)
Dead Rabbit (New York)
Trick Dog (San Francisco)

 

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient

Amaro di Angostura
J. Rieger & Co. Kansas City Whiskey
Mister Katz’s Rock and Rye
Suze Bitters

 

World’s Best Spirits Selection

Canon (Seattle)
Multnomah Whiskey Library (Portland)
The Baxter Inn (Sydney)
Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant (San Francisco)