Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is honored to debut the first round of winners for the 14th annual Spirited Awards®. Founded in 2007, the Spirited Awards recognize beverage professionals, products, and establishments across every facet of the global spirits and cocktail community. The award categories celebrate a range of talent ㄧ from bartenders, brands and ambassadors to journalists and media ㄧ to ensure each aspect of the industry is well represented.
For the first time in history, the Spirited Awards will exist in an exclusively digital format as part of Tales of the Cocktail®’s free, global conference. This year’s event bears the theme “catalyst,” meaning “to spark change,” and this year’s winners represent a global class of changemakers. The first round of winners were announced by Overall Chair Charlotte Voisey at 9:30AM CT on The Foundation’s digital platform, captured below in full. The awardees are a reflection of the inspiring spirits industry that expands worldwide, from Mexico City in the Americas to the United Kingdom’s London and Singapore in Asia.
“Congratulations to this year’s Spirited Award winners,” shared Caroline Rosen, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation President. “In a year that has caused us to all contemplate so much, there is no question that these individuals and establishments are worthy of celebration on
a global stage. Their contributions are advancing this industry forward at a much needed time for change and we are honored to have the opportunity to recognize them.”
The following awards will be announced on September 24, 2020, during the digital Spirited Awards ceremony: Best American Bar Mentor, presented by BarSmarts; Best International Bar Mentor, presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation; American Bartender of the
Year, presented by Pernod Ricard; International Bartender of the Year, presented by Martini & Rossi; Timeless American, presented by Q Mixers; Timeless International, presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation; Helen David Lifetime Achievement, presented by William Grant & Sons; Philanthropy Honorees, presented by Santa Teresa 1796 Rum; and the Pioneer Award, presented by Diageo Bar Academy. Given the volume of categories, spreading winner announcements out over the course of the Tales of the Cocktail 2020 week will enable the organization to more thoroughly spotlight the winners and their work.
The Raise a Glass: 2020 Spirited Awards Preshow will be hosted on September 24th at 3pm CT, featuring live interviews with nominees and winners from Ian Burrell and Lynnette Marrero and the awards presentation will begin at 4pm CT.
The Foundation’s Digital Playbill articulates changes to this year’s awards, provides highlights on this year’s nominees and provides insight on the judging process from Spirited Awards Co-Chairs.
“The winners announced today represent such talent and hard work in our industry. Today we celebrate their excellence as well as the opportunities to spread their knowledge further, through mentorship, to more communities within the bar world,” shared Overall
Chair, Charlotte Voisey.
2020 Spirited Awards Winners Announced on September 21:
AMERICAN CATEGORIES
Best American Bar Team presented by William Grant & Sons
Café La Trova — Miami, FL
Best American Brand Ambassador presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Robin Nance — Beam Suntory
Best American Cocktail Bar presented by Pernod Ricard
Pacific Cocktail Haven — San Francisco, CA
Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy
ABV — San Francisco, CA
Best American Hotel Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy
The Spare Room at The Hollywood Roosevelt— Los Angeles, CA
Best American Restaurant Bar presented by Woodford Reserve
The Silver Dollar — Louisville, KY
Best New American Cocktail Bar presented by Elijah Craig
Silver Lyan — Washington, D.C.
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES
Best International Bar Team presented by House of Angostura
The Connaught Bar — London, UK
Best International Brand Ambassador presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Camille Austin — Casa Lumbre Spirits
Best International Cocktail Bar presented by Tequila Fortaleza
Native — Singapore
Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar presented by Beam Suntory
Licorería Limantour — Mexico City, Mexico
Best International Hotel Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood Hotel — London, UK
Best International Restaurant Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Sober Company — Shanghai, China
Best New International Cocktail Bar presented by Perrier
Kwānt — London, UK
WRITING & MEDIA CATEGORIES
Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Half Full
Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
“JaNee: Where is She Now” by Aaron Goldfarb for PUNCH
Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World’s Greatest Drink, with Recipes by Robert Simonson
Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History or Spirits presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Last Call: Bartenders on Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time
by Brad Thomas Parsons
Best Broadcast, Podcast or Online Video Series presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
WhiskyCast
GLOBAL CATEGORIES
Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Tequila Fortaleza Winter Blend 2019
World’s Best Cocktail Menu presented by Perrier
ATLAS Bar — Singapore
World’s Best Spirits Selection presented by Beam Suntory
Amor Y Amargo – New York, NY
Spirited Awards Chairs:
Below is a list of Spirited Awards Chairs responsible for overseeing the judging process this year:
Overall Chair — Charlotte Voisey
International Chair — Jacob Briars
Central U.S. Co-Chairs — Bridget Albert, Shaun Traxler
West U.S. Co-Chairs — Kiowa Bryan, Mary Palac
East U.S. Co-Chairs — Laura Cullen, Andy Seymour
Europe Co-Chairs — Guiseppe Gallo, Claire Warner
Canada Co-Chairs — Evelyn Chick, Lauren Mote
Middle East & Africa Co-Chairs — Richard Irwin, Stephanie Simbo
Latin America & Caribbean Co-Chairs — Camille Austin, Tato Giovannini
Asia Pacific Co-Chair — Hayley Morison
Writing & Media Co-Chairs — Paul Clarke, Sandrea Lawrence, Francois Monti, Matthew Rowley
JUDGES:
Spirited Awards judges are a collection of respected bartenders, bar owners, educators and writers from across the globe entrusted with this critical calling. Drawing on their years of experience and their knowledge of the current work being done locally, nationally and internationally, together the judges can evaluate nominees from far and wide to ensure that the Spirited Awards represents the breadth and diversity of the global drinks industry. Over the past year, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation worked with the regional chairs to ensure this year’s judging panel would be more geographically diverse and focused on recruiting more judges from mid-sized markets to better represent the range of the industry on a global scale. This is especially evident in the addition of three new Writing & Media Co-Chairs who span the globe for 2020. The Spirited Awards are not based on popular vote and all nominations will be evaluated by their respective judging committees.
