Finalists revealed for 2022 Spirited Awards

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) has revealed this year’s top four finalists for the 2022 Spirited Awards, which recognise beverage professionals, products, and establishments across every facet of the spirits and cocktail community on a global scale.

The 16^th annual Spirited Awards’ categories spotlight a range of talent from bartenders, journalists, and brand ambassadors, to brands and media, to ensure each aspect of the industry is well represented and recognised for its contributions. 

“It is with a degree of relief that we are able to once again celebrate all of the awards this year after the disruption of the pandemic,” says Charlotte Voisey, Spirited Awards Overall Chair. “And while it may not truly be over for everyone, and the industry has indelibly been changed by the pandemic, I believe it is a significant step forward to gather together again and celebrate those bars around the world that continue to thrive. Once more I am floored by the strength and creativity of bars and bartenders everywhere.”

In that spirit, the Foundation shares the Top Four Finalists, broken into International, U.S., Media & Writing, and Global categories.

2022 Spirited Awards^® Top 4 Finalists (in alphabetical order):

INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES

International Bartender of the Year presented by Patrón Tequila

• Lorenzo Antinori — ARGO at the Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong, China
• Keith Motsi — Charles H. Seoul at the Four Seasons Hotel, Seoul, South Korea
• Remy Savage — 🔶🟥🔵 A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London, UK
• Matt Whiley — RE, Sydney, Australia

Best International Bar Mentor presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic

• Monica Berg
• Renato “Tato” Giovannoni
• Lauren Mote
• Agostino “Ago” Perrone

Best International Brand Ambassador presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic

• Martin Hudak — Mr Black Spirits
• Daniyel Jones — House of Angostura
• Ricardo Nava — Bacardí Latin America
• Nicola Riske — The Macallan

Best International Bar Team presented by House of Angostura

• ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena, Colombia
• MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
• The Clumsies — Athens, Greece
• Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain

Best International Cocktail Bar presented by Tequila Fortaleza

• MAYBE SAMMY — Sydney, Australia
• Satan’s Whiskers — London, UK
• Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK
• Two Schmucks — Barcelona, Spain

Best International Hotel Bar presented by Perrier

• Charles H. Seoul at the Four Seasons Hotel — Seoul, South Korea
• Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Hotel — Mexico City, Mexico
• Lyaness at Sea Containers London — London, UK
• The American Bar at The Stafford London — London, UK

Best International Restaurant Bar presented by Amaro Montenegro and Select Aperitivo

• Danico — Paris, France
• Le Mary Celeste — Paris, France
• Pujol — Mexico City, Mexico
• Sexy Fish — London, UK

Best New International Cocktail Bar presented by Stranger & Sons

• 🔶🟥🔵 A Bar with Shapes for a Name — London, UK
• ARGO at the Four Seasons Hotel — Hong Kong, China
• SCHOFIELD’S Bar — Manchester, UK
• SIPS — Barcelona, Spain

U.S. CATEGORIES

U.S. Bartender of the Year presented by Del Maguey

• Josh Davis — 16th Street Bar, Chicago, IL
• Chris Hannah — Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
• Masahiro “Masa” Urushido — Katana Kitten, New York, NY
• Christine Wiseman — BarLab Hospitality Group, Miami, FL

Best U.S. Bar Mentor presented by BarSmarts

• Meaghan Dorman
• Sean Kenyon
• Nectaly Mendoza
• Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Best U.S. Brand Ambassador presented by Libbey Glass

• Chris Cabrera — Bacardí USA
• Tad Carducci — Gruppo Montenegro
• Vance Henderson — Hendrick’s Gin
• Lynn House — Heaven Hill

Best U.S. Bar Team presented by William Grant & Sons

• Half Step — Austin, TX
• Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
• Katana Kitten — New York, NY
• The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX

Best U.S. Cocktail Bar presented by Absolut Vodka

• Bar Goto — New York, NY
• Katana Kitten — New York, NY
• The Roosevelt Room — Austin, TX
• Thunderbolt — Los Angeles, CA

Best U.S. Hotel Bar presented by Grey Goose

• Dear Irving on Hudson at the Aliz Hotel — New York, NY
• Hey Love at The Jupiter — Portland, OR
• Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott — Phoenix, AZ
• Silver Lyan at the Riggs Washington DC — Washington, DC

Best U.S. Restaurant Bar presented by Maison Ferrand

• Café La Trova — Miami, FL
• Cleaver – Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails — Las Vegas, NV
• Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA
• Kumiko — Chicago, IL

Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar presented by Aviation Gin

• Double Chicken Please — New York, NY
• Happy Accidents — Albuquerque, NM
• Temple Bar — New York, NY
• Yacht Club — Denver, CO

WRITING & MEDIA CATEGORIES

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Diageo Bar Academy

• CLASS magazine
• Discard the Zine
• VinePair 
• Whisky Magazine

Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series presented by Diageo Bar Academy

• Radio Imbibe
• Shōshin Art Club 
• The Cocktail Lovers Podcast
• The Speakeasy Podcast

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing presented by Diageo Bar Academy

• “Get Real: The bar world looks beyond feel-good measures on sustainability and climate change” by Max Falkowitz, for Imbibe Magazine
• “Has the Coronavirus Pandemic Destroyed American Bar Culture?” by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, for Daily Beast
• “Meet the Eco-Packaging Innovations Transforming the Drinks Industry” by Betsy Andrews, for SevenFifty Daily
• “The Greatest Drinking Contest in History” by David Wondrich, for Daily Beast

Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book presented by Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic

• Death & Co: Welcome Home by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan
• The Cocktail Seminars by Brian D. Hoefling
• The Japanese Art of the Cocktail by Masahiro Urushido and Michael Anstendig
• The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes by Julia Momosé with Emma Janzen

Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits presented by Diageo Bar Academy

• Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey by Clay Risen
• Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland
• Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara
• The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails edited by David Wondrich with Noah Rothbaum

GLOBAL CATEGORIES

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

• Abasolo Ancestral Corn Whisky
• Citadelle Gin Jardin d’été
• Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic – Italian Orange 
• Nixta Licor de Elote

World’s Best Cocktail Menu presented by Diageo Bar Academy

• Little Red Door — Paris, France
• Lyaness at Sea Containers London — London, UK
• Swift Soho — London, UK
• Tayēr + Elementary — London, UK

World’s Best Spirits Selection presented by Beam Suntory

• In Situ Mezcaleria — Oaxaca City, Mexico
• Jack Rose Dining Saloon — Washington, DC
• Sexy Fish — London, UK
• Swift Soho — London, UK

Pioneer Award Presented by The Blend

• Amanda Gunderson

Timeless International Award presented by Jägermeister

• Harry’s New York Bar — Paris, France

Timeless U.S. Award presented by Johnnie Walker

• Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel — New York, NY

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award presented by William Grant & Sons

• The recipient of the 2022 Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced at the 2022 Spirited Awards