Tales of the Cocktail Foundation has announced the Spirited Awards Top 4 Finalists for 2020 as well as some key changes.
Maybe Sammy – Photo Credit: Daniele Massacci
This year the Foundation and its Co-Chairs have made some key changes:
- The Best Bar Mentor category was expanded in order to recognise additional mentors worldwide who continue to nurture and inspire others. Previously, one mentor was selected annually, and now there are American and International recipients.
- The Pioneer Award (which since its inception in 2012 has lived within the annual “Dame Hall of Fame,” program) has now been folded into the Spirited Awards.
- The Philanthropy Award, which was first introduced as a single award in 2019, will be used as a platform to highlight examples of the altruistic work that so many organisations and individuals are undertaking in the wake of the COVID-19 global health crisis.
Furthermore, the Foundation has made the decision to update its policy around repeat winners. Its goal in doing so is to acknowledge that past Spirited Award winners have received honour and recognition for their achievements, and the Foundation wants to ensure that others who have not yet had this recognition have the opportunity to be awarded for their work in 2019 and beyond. This policy went into effect after this year’s Top 10 announcement, which means that this year’s Top 10 nominees who had previously won the category they were again nominated for were determined ineligible for the Top Four Finalist list. Moreover, moving forward, if a bar has previously won “World’s Best Bar,” they are no longer eligible to win another Spirited Award, except for “Timeless” or “Philanthropy” (which are selected through a different set of criteria).
These new rules affected a handful of Top 10 nominees this year. As such, the Spirited Awards judges had to re-cast their votes for those categories in order to determine the new Top 4 Finalists.
Here are the Top 4 Finalists of the Spirited Awards 2020 listed in alphabetical order *.
Top 4 Finalists of the Spirited Awards 2020
AMERICAN CATEGORIES
Best American Bar Team
Winner announced on September 21
- Café La Trova — Miami, FL
- Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
- Nickel City — Austin, TX
- Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
Best American Bar Mentor
Winner announced at the Spirited Awards Ceremony on September 24
- Bridget Albert
- Alex Day
- Lynn House
- Don Lee
American Bartender of the Year
Winner announced at the Spirited Awards Ceremony on September 24
- Kevin Diedrich — Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, CA
- Mary Palac — Paper Plane, San Jose, CA
- Masahiro Urushido — Katana Kitten, New York, NY
- Christine Wiseman — Broken Shaker, Los Angeles, CA
Best American Brand Ambassador
Winner announced on September 21
- Tad Carducci — Amaro Montenegro
- Vance Henderson — Hendrick’s Gin
- Robin Nance — Beam Suntory
- Dominic Venegas — Pernod Ricard USA
Best American Cocktail Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- Best Intentions — Chicago, IL
- Katana Kitten — New York, NY
- Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
- Raised by Wolves — San Diego, CA
Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- ABV — San Francisco, CA
- Anvil Bar & Refuge — Houston, TX
- Café La Trova — Miami, FL
- Nickel City — Austin, TX
Best American Hotel Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- Death & Co at the Ramble Hotel — Denver, CO
- Libertine Social at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino — Las Vegas, NV
- Mr. COCO at the Palms Casino Resort — Las Vegas, NV
- The Spare Room at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — Los Angeles, CA
Best American Restaurant Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- Cleaver — Las Vegas, NV
- Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
- Jimmy’s — Aspen, CO
- The Silver Dollar — Louisville, KY
Best New American Cocktail Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- Bar Goto Niban — Brooklyn, NY
- Century Grand — Phoenix, AZ
- Silver Lyan — Washington, D.C.
- Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, CA
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES
Best International Bar Team
Winner announced on September 21
- La Factoría — San Juan, Puerto Rico
- MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
- The Clumsies — Athens, Greece
- The Connaught Bar — London, UK
Best International Bar Mentor
Winner announced at the Spirited Awards Ceremony on September 24
- Simone Caporale
- Alex Kratena
- Lauren Mote
- Agostino Perrone
International Bartender of the Year
Winner announced at the Spirited Awards Ceremony on September 24
- Bannie Kang — MU, Taipei, Taiwan
- Kelsey Ramage — Supernova Ballroom, Toronto, Canada
- Rémy Savage — Le Syndicat, Paris, France
- Kaitlyn Stewart — Royal Dinette, Vancouver, Canada
Best International Brand Ambassador
Winner announced on September 21
- Camille Austin — Casa Lumbre Spirits
- Martin Hudák — Mr Black Spirits
- Daniyel Jones — The House of Angostura
- Dave Mitton — Lot No. 40 & J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky
Best International Cocktail Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- Floreria Atlántico — Buenos Aires, Argentina
- MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
- Native — Singapore
- Swift — London, UK
Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- La Factoría — San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Licorería Limantour — Mexico City, Mexico
- Panda & Sons — Edinburgh, Scotland
- The Baxter Inn — Sydney, Australia
Best International Hotel Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Hotel — Mexico City, Mexico
- Punch Room at The London EDITION — London, UK
- Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood Hotel — London, UK
- The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental — Bangkok, Thailand
Best International Restaurant Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- ámaZ — Lima, Peru
- Le Mary Celeste — Paris, France
- Sexy Fish — London, UK
- Sober Company — Shanghai, China
Best New International Cocktail Bar
Winner announced on September 21
- BYRDI — Melbourne, Australia
- Kwānt — London, UK
- Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
- Tres Monos — Buenos Aires, Argentina
WRITING & MEDIA CATEGORIES
Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication
Winner announced on September 21
- DRiNK Magazine Asia
- Half Full
- The Spirits Business
- VinePair
Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing
Winner announced on September 21
- “Mixopedia: Under Foot” by Wayne Curtis for Imbibe
- “JaNee: Where is She Now” by Aaron Goldfarb for PUNCH
- “Can There Be Terroir in Spirits?” by Kara Newman for Wine Enthusiast
- “The Case for Drinking Scotch in Tiki Cocktails” by Becky Paskin for The Daily Beast
Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book
Winner announced on September 21
- Cocktails with a Twist by Kara Newman
- The NoMad Cocktail Book by Leo Robitschek
- The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World’s Greatest Drink, with Recipes by Robert Simonson
- Minimalist Tiki: A Cocktail Wonk Look at Classic Libations and the Modern Tiki Vanguard by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith
Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History or Spirits
Winner announced on September 21
- Drunk in China: Baijiu and the World’s Oldest Drinking Culture by Derek Sandhaus
- Last Call: Bartenders on Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time by Brad Thomas Parsons
- Understanding Spirits: Explaining Style and Quality by Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)
- Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World by Derek Brown and Robert Yule
Best Broadcast, Podcast or Online Video Series
Winner announced on September 21
- Difford’s Guide
- Happy Hour History
- The Speakeasy
- WhiskyCast
GLOBAL CATEGORIES
Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient
Winner announced on September 21
- Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Las Milpas
- Heaven Hill 7 Year Bottled-in-Bond
- Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice
- Tequila Fortaleza Winter Blend 2019
World’s Best Cocktail Menu
Winner announced on September 21
- ATLAS Bar — Singapore
- Little Red Door — Paris, France
- Raised by Wolves — San Diego, CA
- Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
World’s Best Spirits Selection
Winner announced on September 21
- Amor y Amargo – New York, NY
- Raised by Wolves — San Diego, CA
- Sexy Fish — London, UK
- The Office — Chicago, IL
Timeless American Award
- Angel’s Share — New York, NY
Timeless International Award
- Boadas Cocktails — Barcelona, Spain
*By the time of the Awards, some bars may have closed temporarily or permanently in the wake of the pandemic. Some individuals listed might be furloughed or laid off at the time of the Awards, changing their bar or brand affiliation. The Spirited Awards assess the body of work from the year prior and represents how the individuals, establishments and brands were originally nominated.
The following Awards will be announced on September 24, 2020, during the digital Spirited Awards ceremony:
- Helen David Lifetime Achievement
- Philanthropy
- World’s Best Bar
- Pioneer Award
For the first time, the Spirited Awards will exist in an entirely digital format with a robust digital playbill spotlighting changes to this year’s awards, information on the nominees and insight into the process employed by Spirited Awards Co-Chairs. This will occur in two phases: a September 21 rollout of specific category winners via Tales’ website and a pre-recorded digital ceremony for select categories on September 24.
The Raise a Glass: 2020 Spirited Awards Preshow will be hosted on September 24th at 3pm CST and the awards presentation will begin at 4pm CST.
