By Andy Young
Australian bars have made a strong showing in the nominations for the 2017 Spirited Awards, which form part of next month’s Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans.
The top 10 finalists for the Spirited Awards revealed 11 Australian nominations across six of the international categories, for awards including Best International Bar Team, International Bartender of the Year and World’s Best Spirits Selection.
In total 24 Spirited Awards will be handed out, with the awards ceremony taking place on July 22 at the Sheraton Hotel, as part of the 15th annual Tales of the Cocktail celebration.
Over 1000 nominations were received for this year’s awards, with these then assessed by a judging committee, led by Spirited Awards Chairperson, Charlotte Voisey.
“I am delighted to see this year’s Top 10 nominees for the Spirited Awards,” Voisey said. “Every year the nomination and judging process shows just how rich and talented our industry is and continues to be. With literally thousands of nominations received, huge congratulations go out to all of the bars, people, products, and publications represented in the Top 10 lists.”
The finalists will be whittled down to a top four in each category, with those details being revealed this Friday. Each of the finalists will be invited to attend the live ceremony in New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail® 2017, where the winners will receive the iconic Riedel Crystal trophy.
The Australian Top 10 finalists include:
BEST INTERNATIONAL BAR TEAM
- Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia)
- Boadas Cocktails (Barcelona, Spain)
- Dandelyan (London, UK)
- El Copitas Bar (St. Petersburg, Russia)
- Happiness Forgets (London, UK)
- Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar (Tel-Aviv, Israel)
- Le Calbar (Paris, France)
- Lost + Found Drinkery (Nicosia, Cyprus)
- Swift (London, UK)
- The Connaught Bar (London, UK)
INTERNATIONAL BARTENDER OF THE YEAR
- Chris Hysted-Adams of Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia)
- Erik Lorincz of the American Bar (London, UK)
- Iain Griffiths of Dandelyan (London, UK)
- Jennifer Le Nechet of Café Moderne (Paris, France)
- Joe Schofield of Tippling Club (Singapore)
- Marcis Dzelzainis of Sager + Wilde Paradise Row (London, UK)
- Nico de Soto of Danico (Paris, France)
- Shingo Gokan of Speak Low (Shanghai, China)
- Steve Schneider of Employees Only (Singapore)
- Tess Posthumus of Door 74 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- Vasilis Kyritsis of The Clumsies (Athens, Greece)
BEST INTERNATIONAL COCKTAIL BAR
- 1862 Dry Bar (Madrid, Spain)
- Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia)
- Bramble (Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Le Lion • Bar de Paris (Hamburg, Germany)
- Le Syndicat, organisation de défense des spiritueux français (Paris, France)
- Licorería Limantour (Mexico City, Mexico)
- Little Red Door (Paris, France)
- The Dark Horse (Bath, UK)
- The Everleigh (Melbourne, Australia)
- The Gibson (London, UK)
- This Must Be The Place (Sydney, Australia)
BEST INTERNATIONAL COCKTAIL BAR
- 1862 Dry Bar (Madrid, Spain)
- Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia)
- Bramble (Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Le Lion • Bar de Paris (Hamburg, Germany)
- Le Syndicat, organisation de défense des spiritueux français (Paris, France)
- Licorería Limantour (Mexico City, Mexico)
- Little Red Door (Paris, France)
- The Dark Horse (Bath, UK)
- The Everleigh (Melbourne, Australia)
- The Gibson (London, UK)
- This Must Be The Place (Sydney, Australia)
BEST INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT BAR
- City Social (London, UK)
- Le Mary Celeste (Paris, France)
- Maybe Frank (Sydney, Australia)
- Sager + Wilde (London, UK)
- Sexy Fish (London, UK)
- The Blind Pig at Social Eating House (London, UK)
- The Bon Vivant (Edinburgh, UK)
- The Clove Club (London, UK)
- Tippling Club (Singapore)
- Zuma (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
WORLD’S BEST SPIRITS SELECTION
- American Bar at The Savoy (London, UK)
- ATLAS (Singapore)
- canon: whiskey and bitters emporium (Seattle, WA)
- Old Lightning (Los Angeles, United States)
- Seven Grand (Los Angeles, United States)
- Sexy Fish (London, UK)
- Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company (Miami, United States)
- Swift (London, UK)
- The Baxter Inn (Sydney, Australia)
- The Office (Chicago, United States)
- Whitechapel (San Francisco, United States)