The 10th Annual Spirited Awards capped off another great Tales of the Cocktail, as an impressive panel of industry experts crowned winners in categories spanning bars, bartenders, new products and cocktail writing. London and San Francisco put up particularly strong showings, taking the awards for World’s Best Cocktail Bar and Best American Cocktail Bar, respectively, among a litany of others.
This year also saw a Lifetime Achievement Award go to the late Sasha Petraske, whose wife accepted on his behalf. Petraske was directly or tangentially responsible for inspiring many of the bars and bartenders on the stage and in the audience. It was a touching tribute, and there weren’t many dry eyes in the house.
See below for a selection of winners in the major categories, and see the full list of winners here.
GLOBAL CATEGORIES
World’s Best Cocktail Bar
The Connaught Bar at the Connaught (London)
World’s Best Cocktail Menu
Dandelyan (London)
Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient
Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple (Barbados)
World’s Best Spirits Selection
Tommy’s (San Francisco)
AMERICAN CATEGORIES
Best American Cocktail Bar
Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)
Best New American Cocktail Bar
Sweet Liberty (Miami Beach)
Best American Bar Team
ABV (San Francisco)
Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar
Herbs & Rye (Las Vegas)
Best American Restaurant Bar
Saxon + Parole (New York)
American Bartender of the Year
Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Clyde Common, Portland)
Best American Hotel Bar
The Elephant Bar (The NoMad, NYC)
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES
Best International Bar Team
American Bar at the Savoy (London)
Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar
Callooh Callay (London)
Best International Restaurant Bar
Hawksmoor Spitalfields (London)
International Bartender of the Year
Hidetsugu Ueno (Bar High Five, Tokyo)
Best International Cocktail Bar
Happiness Forgets (London)
Best International Hotel Bar
The Connaught Bar at The Connaught (London)
Best New International Cocktail Bar
Oriole (London)
WRITING
Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication
Cocktail Lovers
Best New Cocktail & Bartending Book
The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual by Sean Muldoon, Jack McGarry and Ben Schaffer
Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer
Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Best New Spirits Book
Divided Spirits – Tequila, Mezcal, and the Politics of Production by Sarah Bowen
