Jean Trinh, co-founder of Alquímico in Cartagena, Colombia, has been named the winner of Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2022.
Jean Trinh – Photo Supplied
Following the announcement of the winner of Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award 2022, 50 Best Bars has named Jean Trinh as the winner of Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2022. This prestigious award is voted for by the bartenders on this year’s list of The World’s 50 Best Bars, who were asked to name one peer who pushes the limits of what it means to be a great bartender.
The award goes to a personality who made a significant impact in the global bar sector over the voting period and recognises their commitment to the international community in that time. This is the second of two special awards to be announced ahead of the live awards ceremony on Tuesday 4th October 2022 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022, marks the first time the illustrious event has been held outside London since its 2009 inception. The ceremony will once again unite the global bar community in recognition of the best bars in the world.
French with Vietnamese heritage, Trinh was born into hospitality, growing up in his parents’ restaurants. In 2013, his journey led him to Cartagena de Indias and the indelible experience of Colombian hospitality, opening his first pop-up bar just six months later. Within three years, he established Alquímico in a stunning three-storey mansion in the historic heart of the city.
Renowned for serving more than 850 guests daily, Alquímico offers three unique concepts – La Mansión, El Balcón and Terraza – each with their own unique cocktail menu, under one roof. Throughout the bar, Trinh champions the diversity and produce of his adopted home, searching the country for new producers and craftspeople to allow him to put sustainability at the heart of every decision he makes.
In 2018, Alquímico invested in a 25 acre farm in rural Colombia to sustainably and organically grow the freshest produce for the high-volume cocktail programme. During the global pandemic, in the face of a complete shutdown, Trinh led his team #FromTheBarToTheFarm, housing his bartenders and their families and collaborating with local small producers and farmers to learn and develop sustainable agricultural practices. In addition to selling their organic produce, they donated food baskets to the poor, built an apiary to reduce the bar’s reliance on sugar, reforested native trees and created an educational space for the local farming community as well as colleagues within the industry that wished to learn more.
In 2020, Alquímico joined the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars at No.47, the first Colombian bar ever to feature. In the same year, they were also the first bar from Latin America to be awarded the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award.
The Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award was introduced to The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2017 and the inaugural winner was Iain Griffiths of Dandelyan. Joe Schofield, of the recently opened Schofield’s Bar in Manchester, UK, won in 2018; Monica Berg of Tayēr + Elementary, London, in 2019; Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni, of Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires, in 2020 and Lynnette Marrero of Llama Inn, New York, in 2021.
The countdown of the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 will be broadcast live to a global audience who are not able to attend in person. Bars and cocktail lovers are invited to join through The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV channel on YouTube.
