Spirited Awards Top 10 Nominees 2023

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Tales of the Cocktail Foundation has announced the Spirited Awards Top 10 Nominees 2023 ahead of the 17th annual Spirited Awards ceremony in July 2023.

Here is the full list of the Spirited Awards Overall Top 10 Nominees 2023 presented in alphabetical order.

SPIRITED AWARDS TOP 10 NOMINEES 2023

Spirited Awards Top 10 Nominees 2023 – INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES

International Bartender of the Year

• Gina Barbachano — Hanky Panky, Mexico City, Mexico
• Giorgio Bargiani — Connaught Bar, London, UK
• Aaron Diaz — Carnaval, Lima, Peru
• Kate Boushel — Atwater Cocktail Club / Milky Way Cocktail Bar, Montréal, QC, Canada
• Giacomo Giannotti — Paradiso, Barcelona, Spain
• Martin Hudak — Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia
• Uno Jang — Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel, Singapore
• Alessandro Palazzi — DUKES at Dukes Hotel, London, UK
• Daniel Schofield — SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester, UK
• Luke Whearty — BYRDI, Melbourne, Australia

Best International Bar Mentor*

• Lorenzo Antinori
• Simone Caporale
• Evelyn Chick
• Shingo Gokan
• Trevor Kallies
• Jose Luis Leon
• Dre Masso
• Iain McPherson
• Danil Nevsky
• Agostino Perrone
• Christina Veira

*denotes 11 nominees due to a tie

Best International Brand Ambassador*

• Jenna Ba — Diageo
• Jordan Bushell — Hennessy Cognac
• Dickie Cullimore — Bacardi Rum
• Caitlin Hill — Rémy Cointreau
• Daniyel Jones — House of Angostura®
• Ally Martin — Hendrick’s Gin
• Dave Mitton — Lot 40 / J.P. Wiser’s
• Léa Messier — Dandurand Spirits
• Tim Philips-Johansson — Johnnie Walker
• Nicola Riske — The Macallan
• Claudia Cabrera Rodriguez — Fernet Branca
• Charmaine Thio — Hendrick’s Gin

*denotes 12 nominees due to a tie

Best International Bar Team

• ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena, Colombia
• Atwater Cocktail Club — Montreal, QC, Canada
• COA — Hong Kong, China
• Handshake Speakeasy — Mexico City, Mexico
• Hanky Panky — Mexico City, Mexico
• Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel — Singapore
• La Factoria — San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
• Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
• The Clumsies — Athens, Greece

Best International Cocktail Bar

• 🔶🟥🔵 — London, UK
• ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena, Colombia
• Atwater Cocktail Club — Montreal, QC, Canada
• BYRDI — Melbourne, Australia
• COA — Hong Kong, China
• MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
• Panda & Sons — Edinburgh, Scotland
• Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain
• Satan’s Whiskers — London, UK
• SIPS — Barcelona, Spain

Best International Hotel Bar

• ARGO at the Four Seasons — Hong Kong, China
• BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Bangkok — Bangkok, Thailand
• Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel — Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Bulgari Bar at the The Bvlgari Resort — Dubai, UAE
• Charles H. at the Four Seasons Hotel — Seoul, South Korea
• Dean & Nancy on 22 at the A by Adina hotel — Sydney, Australia
• Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Hotel — Mexico City, Mexico
• Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel — Singapore
• Side Hustle at The NoMad Hotel London — London, UK
• The Donovan Bar at the Brown’s Hotel — London, UK

Best International Restaurant Bar

• Analogue Initiative — Singapore
• ARCA Restaurant & Bar — Tulum, Mexico
• Bar Kismet — Halifax, NS, Canada
• COCHINCHINA — Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Continental Deli Bar Bistro — Sydney, Australia
• COYA Dubai — Dubai, UAE
• Danico — Paris, France
• Le Mary Celeste — Paris, France
• No Sleep Club — Singapore
• Zuma Dubai — Dubai, UAE

Best New International Cocktail Bar

• Bar Planet — Sydney, Australia
• Caretaker’s Cottage — Melbourne, Australia
• CATA Agave Bar – Tamarindo, Costa Rica
• Ergo Cocktail Bar & Restaurant — Dubai, UAE
• Gucci Giardino 25 — Florence, Italy
• Last Word — Singapore
• Line Athens — Athens, Greece
• Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar — Bangkok, Thailand
• Night Hawk — Singapore
• Seed Library at One Hundred Shoreditch hotel — London, UK

Spirited Awards Top 10 Nominees 2023 – U.S. CATEGORIES

U.S. Bartender of the Year

• Chris Elford — Navy Strength / Here Today Brewery & Kitchen, Seattle, WA
• Abigail Gullo — loa at the International House hotel, New Orleans, LA
• Caer Maiko Ferguson — DrinkWell / Daijoubu, Austin, TX
• Shauna O’Neil — Sweet Liberty, Miami, FL
• Jessi Pollak — Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis, MN
• Kapri Robinson — Allegory at the Eaton Hotel, Washington, DC
• Christian Suzuki-Orellana — Wildhawk, San Francisco, CA
• Masahiro Urushido — Katanna Kitten, New York, NY
• Takuma Watanabe — Martiny’s, New York, NY
• Christine Wiseman — Marygold’s Brasserie / Broken Shaker, Miami, FL

Best U.S. Bar Mentor*

• Bridget Albert
• Anu Apte
• Colin Asare-Appiah
• Jason Asher
• Julio Cabrera
• Alex Day
• Touré Folkes
• Kate Gerwin
• Anne Louise Marquis
• Nectaly Mendoza
• Jeffrey Morgenthaler
• Chris Patino

*denotes 12 nominees due to a tie

Best U.S. Brand Ambassador

• Kiowa Bryan — Spiribam
• Chris Cabrera — Bacardi USA
• Tad Carducci — Gruppo Montenegro
• Cameron George — Ardbeg Single Malts
• A-K Hada — Bacardi Rum
• Vance Henderson — Hendrick’s Gin
• Benny Hurwitz — Wild Turkey
• Anna Mains — Monkey Shoulder
• Jenna Murray — The Glenlivet
• Mary Palac — Campari Mexican Spirits

Best U.S. Bar Team

• Allegory at the Eaton Hotel — Washington, DC
• Attaboy Nashville — Nashville, TN
• Century Grand — Phoenix, AZ
• Happy Accidents — Albuquerque, NM
• Nickel City — Austin, TX
• Overstory — New York, NY
• Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
• Service Bar — Washington, DC
• The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX
• Yacht Club — Denver, CO

Best U.S. Cocktail Bar

• Bar Goto — New York, NY
• Bitter & Twisted — Phoenix, AZ
• Century Grand — Phoenix, AZ
• Double Chicken Please — New York, NY
• Manolito — New Orleans, LA
• Nickel City — Austin, TX
• Overstory — New York, NY
• Service Bar — Washington, DC
• Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, CA
• Yacht Club — Denver, CO

Best U.S. Hotel Bar

• Allegory at the Eaton Hotel — Washington, DC
• Bar Marilou at the Maison de la Luz — New Orleans, LA
• Champagne Bar at The Surf Club Miami — Miami, FL
• Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel — New York, NY
• Hey Love at The Jupiter — Portland, OR
• Libertine Social at the Mandalay Bay — Las Vegas, NV
• Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott — Phoenix, AZ
• Midnight Rambler at The Joule — Dallas, TX
• Raines Law Room at the William — New York, NY
• White Limozeen at The Graduate — Nashville, TN

Best U.S. Restaurant Bar

• Arnaud’s French 75 Bar — New Orleans, LA
• Bicyclette Bistro — Los Angeles, CA
• Bresca — Washington, DC
• Café La Trova — Miami, FL
• Cleaver – Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails — Las Vegas, NV
• Crown Shy — New York, NY
• Jaguar Sun — Miami, FL
• Kumiko — Chicago, IL
• Manhatta — New York, NY
• Palomar — Portland, OR

Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar

• Amazonia — Washington DC
• Chez Zou — New York, NY
• Khla — Phoenix, AZ
• Martiny’s — New York, NY
• Marygold’s Brasserie at the Arlo Wynwood — Miami, FL
• Milady’s — New York, NY
• Pacific Standard at the KEX Portland — Portland, OR
• Refuge — Houston, TX
• The Butterscotch Den — Sacramento, CA
• UnderTow — Gilbert, AZ

WRITING & MEDIA CATEGORIES

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication

• Boothby
• CLASS Magazine
• Difford’s Guide
• Drinks International
• Guest Check by SPILL
• Liquor.com
• Punch
• The Cocktail Lovers Magazine
• The Mix With Robert Simonson
• The Spirits Business

Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series

• Agave Road Trip
• Black and Brown Podcast
• Freepour
• Japan Distilled Podcast
• Perspectives by Campari Academy
• Radio Imbibe
• Shōshin Art Club
• The Modern Bar Cart Podcast
• The Sipping Point
• The Speakeasy Podcast

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing

• “A Rum Deal” by Dave Broom for Club Oenologique
• “How Americans ruined tequila — and the true believers saving it” by Lilah Raptopoulos, for Financial Times
• “How the Four Seasons Became an Incubator for Asia’s Best Bars” by Jake Emen, for VinePair
• “The Drinks Industry Has an Ageism Problem” by Betsy Andrews, for SevenFifty Daily
• “The Good, the Bad & the Artificial: How Big Data & Tech Are Infiltrating the Alcohol Industry” by Jake Emen, for VinePair
• “The Great Mezcal Heist” by Emma Janzen, for Eater
• “The Secrets to the Best Dry Martini You’ll Ever Have” by David Wondrich, for The Daily Beast
• “This Is What Decolonizing a Spirit Looks Like” by Adaorah Oduah, for Punch
• “Untold Story” by Yolanda Evans, for Imbibe
• “What is a Bar Without a Backbar?” by Danny Chau, for Punch

Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book

• A Bartender’s Guide to the World by Lauren Mote & James O. Fraioli
• Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology by Tamika Hall with Colin Asare-Appiah
• Drink Lightly by Natasha David
• Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails with 60 Recipes by Derek Brown
• Modern Classic Cocktails by Robert Simonson
• Mueble Bar by François Monti
• The Bartender’s Manifesto by Toby Maloney with Emma Janzen
• THE COCKTAIL CABINET: The art, science and pleasure of mixing the perfect drink by Zoe Burgess
• The Cocktail Edit: Everything You Need to Know About How to Make All the Drinks that Matter by Alice Lascelles
• The New York Times Essential Book of Cocktails – Elevated and Expanded, edited by Steven Reddicliffe

Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits

• A SENSE OF PLACE: A journey around Scotland’s whisky by Dave Broom
• Brand Mysticism: Cultivate Creativity & Intoxicate Your Audience by Aaron Goldfarb and Steven Grasse
• Dicktales (or Thankyou and Sluggings) by Dick Bradsell
• Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails by Camper English
• Drink Like a Local New York: A Field Guide to New York’s Best Bars by Amanda Schuster
• Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake by Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay
• Gurú. Manual (multisensorial) de Coctelería by Diego Cabrera
• Modern Caribbean Rum: A Contemporary Reference to the Region’s Essential Spirit by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith
• The Art of Whisky by Ernie Button
• Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

GLOBAL CATEGORIES

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient

• Contraluz Cristalino Mezcal
• Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin California Orange Citrus
• Hendrick’s Neptunia
• Martini & Rossi Floreale Non Alcoholic Aperitivo
• Martini & Rossi Vibrante Non Alcoholic Aperitivo
• Mijenta Añejo Gran Reserva
• Nocheluna Sotol
• PATRÓN El Alto Tequila
• Saint Benevolence Aged Rum Clairin
• The Fords Gin Co. Sloe Gin

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

• Allegory at the Eaton Hotel — Washington, DC
• ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena, Colombia
• Bitter and Twisted — Phoenix, AZ
• Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel — Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Double Chicken Please — New York, NY
• Handshake Speakeasy — Mexico City, Mexico
• Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel — Singapore
• Licorería Limantour — Mexico City, Mexico
• Panda & Sons — Edinburgh, Scotland
• Paradiso — Barcelona, Spain

World’s Best Spirits Selection

• Baba Au Rum — Athens, Greece
• Barro Negro — Athens, Greece
• In Situ Mezcalería — Oaxaca, Mexico
• KOL Mezcaleria — London, UK
• Origin Bar at the Shangri-La Hotel — Singapore
• Raised by Wolves — San Diego, CA
• Salón de Agave at Casa Prunes — Mexico City, Mexico
• Sexy Fish London — London, UK
• Swift Soho — London, UK
• The Office — Chicago, IL

Spirited Awards Top 4 Finalists and the recipients for the Helen David Lifetime Achievement, Visionary & International/U.S. Timeless Awards will be named on June 21, 2023. All winners will be celebrated on July 27, 2023 at the 17th Annual Spirited Awards Ceremony at the Fillmore New Orleans.