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Spirited Awards unveils 2022 nominees
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) has revealed the top 10 nominees for its 2022 Spirited Awards, with The Spirits Business named as one of the finalists for Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication.
Founded in 2007, the Spirited Awards seeks to put the spotlight on a range of industry talent from bartenders, journalists, and brand ambassadors, to brands and media.
The annual New Orleans festival is preparing to host this year’s event on 25 to 29 July, with the winners revealed on 28 July during the Spirited Awards ceremony.
Jacob Briars, Spirited Awards international chair, said: “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.
“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.”
Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Spirited Awards committee and TOTCF board said it will not consider nominees from Russia for the 2022 awards.
In addition, the Spirited Awards’ two sitting judges from Russia have both agreed to abstain from judging this year.
The top four finalists will be revealed on 21 June 2022.
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
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
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 — Pernod Ricard
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
Alquímico — 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, Canada
Bulgari Bar at The Bvlgari Resort — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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, Canada
Caffe Fernet — Singapore
Danico — Paris, France
Le Mary Celeste — Paris, France
Locale Firenze — Florence, Italy
LPM Restaurant & Bar — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Pujol — Mexico City, Mexico
Sexy Fish — London, UK
The Continental Deli — Newtown, Australia
Tjoget — Stockholm, Sweden
Zuma Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
*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
US categories
US Bartender of the Year presented by Del Maguey
Josh Davis — 16th Street Bar, Chicago, Illinois
Chris Elford — Trade Winds Tavern, Navy Strength, Rob Roy, Here Today Brewing, Seattle, Washington
Chris Hannah — Jewel of the South, New Orleans, Louisiana
Caer Maiko Ferguson — Drink Well, Austin, Texas
Chris McMillian — Revel Bar & Cafe, New Orleans, Los Angeles
Shauna O’Neil — Sweet Liberty, Miami, Florida
Kapri Robinson — Allegory, Washington DC
Christian Suzuki-Orellana — Wildhawk, San Francisco, California
Masahiro ‘Masa’ Urushido — Katana Kitten, New York
Christine Wiseman — Bar Lab Hospitality Group, Miami, Florida
Best US bar mentor presented by Bar Smarts
Colin Asare-Appiah
Julio Cabrera
Kevin Diedrich
Meaghan Dorman
Alba Huerta
Alex Jump
Sean Kenyon
Franky Marshall
Nectaly Mendoza
Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Best US brand ambassador presented by Libbey Glass
Cameron George — Ardbeg
Chris Cabrera — Bacardí USA
Daniel Warrilow — Campari America
Jenna Murray — The Glenlivet
Kiowa Bryan — Spiribam
Lynn House — Heaven Hill
Natasha Sofia Velez — Davos Brands
Ryan Wainwright — Bombay Sapphire
Tad Carducci — Gruppo Montenegro
Vance Henderson — Hendrick’s Gin
Best US bar team presented by William Grant & Sons
Attaboy — New York
Cleaver – Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails — Las Vegas, Nevada
Half Step — Austin, Texas
Jaguar Sun — Miami, Florida
Jewel of the South — New Orleans, Louisiana
Katana Kitten — New York
The Long Island Bar — Brooklyn, New York
The Roosevelt Room — Austin, Texas
The Snug — Sacramento, California
Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, California
Best US Cocktail Bar presented by Absolut Vodka
Bar Goto — New York
Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 — New Orleans, Los Angeles
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour — Phoenix, Arizona
Drink Well — Austin, Texas
Julep — Houston, Texas
Katana Kitten — New York
Occidental — Denver, Colorado
Pearl Diver — Nashville, Tennessee
The Roosevelt Room — Austin, Texas
Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, California
Best US Hotel Bar presented by Grey Goose
Bar Marilou at Maison de la Luz — New Orleans, Los Angeles
Champagne Bar at The Surf Club Miami — Miami, Florida
Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel — New York
Hey Love at The Jupiter — Portland, Oregon
King Cole Bar at The St Regis New York — New York
Libertine Social at the Mandalay Bay — Las Vegas, Nevada
Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott — Phoenix, Arizona
Midnight Rambler at the Joule — Dallas, Texas
Mountaineering Club at the Graduate Seattle Hotel — Seattle, Washington
Silver Lyan at the Riggs Washington DC — Washington DC
Best US Restaurant Bar presented by Maison Ferrand
Café La Trova — Miami, Florida
Cleaver – Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails — Las Vegas, Nevada
Crown Shy — New York
Gramercy Tavern — New York
Jewel of the South — New Orleans, Louisiana
Kimball House — Decatur, Georgia
Kumiko — Chicago, Illinois
L’Oursin — Seattle, Washington
Republique — Los Angeles, Califronia
Spoon and Stable — Minneapolis, Minnesota
Best New US Cocktail Bar presented by Aviation Gin
Double Chicken Please — New York, NY
Happy Accidents — Albuquerque, New Mexico
Kona’s Street Market — San Francisco, California
Law Bird — Columbus, Ohio
Overstory — New York
Palmetto — Oakland, California
Temple Bar — New York
Tiki Tatsu-Ya — Austin, Texas
Trade Winds Tavern — Seattle, Washington
Yacht Club — Denver, Colorado
Writing and media categories
Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Diageo Bar Academy
Class
Difford’s Guide
Discard the Zine
Drink Magazine Asia
Drinks International
Liquor.com
The Cocktail Lovers
The Spirits Business
Vine Pair
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
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 Seven Fifty 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
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, US
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, US
Brandy Library — New York, US
In-Situ Mezcaleria — Oaxaca City, Mexico
Jack Rose Dining Saloon — Washington DC, US
Origin Bar at The Shangri-La Hotel — Singapore
Rumba — Seattle, Washington, US
Sexy Fish — London, UK
Swift Soho — London, UK
The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash — Chicago, Illinois
The Doctor’s Office — Seattle, Washington, US
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