With just a month to go until the annual drinkapalooza that is Tales of the Cocktail is held in New Orleans, the top 10 finalists for the Spirited Awards have been announced — and Australian bars have made a great showing.
A total of eight Australian bars have been listed as finalists in the international categories at the Spirited Awards, which if our memory serves us well (and hey, it can be a little fuzzy) is a record number.
Melbourne bars Black Pearl, The Everleigh, Eau de Vie, and Heartbreaker hit the list, as did Sydney bars The Barber Shop, The Baxter Inn, Maybe Frank, and This Must Be The Place.
In the International Bartender of the Year stakes, Black Pearl’s Chris Hysted-Adams joins the world’s top dog bartenders, and we’re proud as punch to note that, for the fifth year running, Australian Bartender is in the top 10 for Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication, too.
The finalists get rounded down to the top four early Saturday morning — you can catch the live announcement on Tales of the Cocktail’s Facebook page.
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Take a look at the full list below.
Spirited Award® Finalists
Categories marked with a star indicate a tie for top ten placement.
American Categories
BEST AMERICAN BAR TEAM
- Anvil Bar and Refuge (Houston, TX)
- Attaboy (New York, NY)
- Columbia Room (Washington, DC)
- Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks (Boston, MA)
- Herbs & Rye (Las Vegas, NV)
- PDT (New York, NY)
- Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company (Miami, FL)
- The Dead Rabbit (New York, NY)
- The NoMad Bar (New York, NY)
- Williams & Graham (Denver, CO)
AMERICAN BARTENDER OF THE YEAR
- Ezra Star of Drink (Boston, MA)
- Jeff Bell of PDT (New York, NY)
- Jillian Vose of The Dead Rabbit (New York, NY)
- John Lermayer of Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company (Miami, FL)
- Kevin Diedrich of Pacific Cocktail Heaven (San Francisco, CA)
- Masahiro Urushido of Saxon + Parole (New York, NY)
- Micah Melton of The Aviary (Chicago, IL)
- Ms. Franky Marshall of Le Boudoir (New York, NY)
- Ran Duan of The Baldwin Bar (Woburn, MA)
- Yael Vengroff of The Spare Room (Los Angeles, CA)
BEST AMERICAN BRAND AMBASSADOR
- Andie Ferman (St. George Spirits)
- Anne Louise Marquis (Campari USA)
- Jessamine McLellan (Pernod Ricard)
- Johnnie the Scot (Beam Suntory)
- Lynn House (Heaven Hill)
- Misty Kalkofen (Del Maguey)
- Robin Nance (Beam Suntory)
- Ryan Maybee (J. Rieger & Co.)
- Tim Cooper (The 86 co.)
- Trevor Schneider (Reyka)
BEST AMERICAN COCKTAIL BAR
- Anvil Bar and Refuge (Houston, TX)
- Attaboy (New York, NY)
- BAR GOTO (New York, NYC)
- canon: whiskey and bitters emporium (Seattle, WA)
- Columbia Room (Washington, DC)
- Cure (New Orleans, LA)
- PDT (New York, NY)
- Pouring Ribbons (New York, NY)
- The Walker Inn (Los Angeles, CA)
- Trick Dog (San Francisco, CA)
BEST AMERICAN HIGH VOLUME COCKTAIL BAR*
- Best Intentions (Chicago, IL)
- Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour (Phoenix, AZ)
- Blackbird Ordinary (Miami, FL)
- Clover Club (New York, NY)
- Drink (Boston, MA)
- Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles, CA)
- Honeycut (Los Angeles, CA)
- Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company (Miami, FL)
- The Esquire Tavern (San Antonio, TX)
- The NoMad Bar (New York, NY)
- Three Dots and a Dash (Chicago, IL)
BEST AMERICAN HOTEL BAR
- Compere Lapin at Old No. 77 Hotel (New Orleans, LA)
- Libertine Social at Mandalay Bay (Las Vegas, NV)
- Proof on Main at 21c Museum Hotel (Louisville, KY)
- Regent Cocktail Club at Gale South Beach Hotel (Miami, FL)
- Roof at Park South at Park South Hotel (New York, NY)
- Sternewirth Bar & Clubroom at Hotel Emma (San Antonio, TX)
- The Berkshire Room at Acme Hotel (Chicago, IL)
- The Hawthorne at The Commonwealth Hotel (Boston, MA)
- The Spare Room at The Roosevelt Hotel (Los Angeles, CA)
- Vesper Bar at The Cosmopolitan (Las Vegas, NV)
BEST AMERICAN RESTAURANT BAR
- 27 Restaurant & Bar (Miami, FL)
- Beaker & Gray (Miami, FL)
- Cane & Table (New Orleans, LA)
- Dante NYC (New York, NY)
- Gramercy Tavern (New York, NY)
- Otium (Los Angeles, CA)
- Redbird (Los Angeles, CA)
- Spoon and Stable (Minneapolis, MN)
- The Baldwin Bar (Woburn, MA)
- The Rieger (Kansas City, MO)
BEST NEW AMERICAN COCKTAIL BAR
- Bar Clacson (Los Angeles, CA)
- BlackTail (New York, NY)
- Coup (New York, NY)
- Downstairs at The Esquire Tavern (San Antonio, TX)
- False Idol (San Diego, CA)
- Fresh Kills Bar (Brooklyn, NY)
- Jupiter Disco (Brooklyn, NY)
- Tongue-Cut Sparrow (Houston, TX)
- UnderTow (Phoenix, AZ)
- Wildhawk (San Francisco, CA)
International Categories
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 BRAND AMBASSADOR
- Camille Ralph Vidal (St~Germain)
- Dickie Cullimore (Bacardi)
- George Nemec (Becherovka)
- Ian Burrell (Rum Ambassador)
- Joe McCanta (Grey Goose)
- Konstantin “CoCo” Prochorowski (Hendrick’s Gin)
- Meimi Sanchez (Havana Club)
- Raj Nagra (Bombay Gins)
- Richard Neil Irwin (Bacardi Ltd)
- Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge (Beefeater Gin)
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 HIGH VOLUME COCKTAIL BAR
- Eau De Vie (Melbourne, Australia)
- Heartbreaker (Melbourne, Australia)
- HIMKOK (Oslo, Norway)
- London Cocktail Club – Goodge St. (London, UK)
- Oriole (London, UK)
- Panda & Sons (Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Paradiso (Barcelona, Spain)
- The Barber Shop (Sydney, Australia)
- The Baxter Inn (Sydney, Australia)
- Trailer Happiness (London, UK)
BEST INTERNATIONAL HOTEL BAR
- American Bar at The Savoy (London, UK)
- Beaufort Bar at The Savoy (London, UK)
- Charles H. at the Four Seasons Hotel (Seoul, Korea)
- Dandelyan at The Mondrian (London, UK)
- Fifty Mils at the Four Seasons Hotel (Mexico City, Mexico)
- Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar at The Imperial (Tel-Aviv, Israel)
- Manhattan Bar at The Regent (Singapore)
- Punch Room at The Edition (London, UK)
- Scarfes Bar at The Rosewood (London, UK)
- The Zetter Townhouse (London, UK)
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)
BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL COCKTAIL BAR*
- ATLAS (Singapore)
- Blackbird at The Dark Horse (Bath, UK)
- Danico (Paris, France)
- Dr. Stravinsky (Barcelona, Spain)
- Guilhotina Bar (São Paulo, Brazil)
- LA COMMUNE (Paris, France)
- Odori Vermuteria di Atene (Athens, Greece)
- Paradiso (Barcelona, Spain)
- Swift (London, UK)
- The Distillery (London, UK)
- Three Sheets (London, UK)
Writing Categories
BEST COCKTAIL & SPIRITS PUBLICATION
- Australian Bartender
- Class Magazine
- Cocktail Wonk
- Difford’s Guide (diffordsguide.com)
- DRiNK Magazine
- Drinks International
- Hot Rum Cow
- Liquor.com
- Rumporter Magazine
- The Daily Beast Drink + Food
BEST COCKTAIL & SPIRITS WRITER*
- Alyson Sheppard
- Becky Paskin
- François Monti
- Fred Minnick
- Hamish Smith
- Kara Newman
- Max Watman
- Noah Rothbaum
- Robert Simonson
- Simon Difford
- Wayne Curtis
BEST NEW COCKTAIL & BARTENDING BOOK
- 101 Cocktails to Try Before You Die by Francois Monti
- A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson
- A Spot at the Bar: Welcome to The Everleigh by Michael Madrusen
- Difford’s Guide to Cocktails #12 by Simon Difford
- Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske with Georgette Moger-Petraske
- Shake.Stir.Sip. by Kara Newman
- Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin & Rebecca Cate
- The Canon Cocktail Book by Jamie Boudreau and James O. Fraioli
- The Complete Cocktail Manual by Lou Bustamante
- The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book by Frank Caiafa
BEST NEW SPIRITS BOOK
Note: There were not enough qualified nominations to fill this category.
- Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons
- Bourbon: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of An American Whiskey by Fred Minnick
- Colonial Spirits: A Toast to our Drunken History by Steven Grasse
- Le whisky c’est pas sorcier by Mickaël Guidot (Author) & Yannis Varoutsikos (Illustrations)
- TEQUILA COCKTAILS by Brian Van Flandern
- Whiskey: A Spirited Story with 75 Classic and Original Cocktails by Michael Dietsch
Global Categories
BEST BAR MENTOR
- Alex Kratena
- David Wondrich
- Don Lee
- Doug Frost
- Ivy Mix & Lynnette Marrero
- Jackson Cannon
- Julio Cabrera
- Paul McGee
- Tomas Estes
- Zdenek Kastanek
BEST NEW SPIRIT OR COCKTAIL INGREDIENT*
- Altos Anejo (Mexico)
- Ancho Reyes Verde (Mexico)
- Braemble Gin Liqueur (Scotland, UK)
- Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal PUEBLA, San Pablo Ameyaltepec Wild Papalote (Mexico)
- ITALICUS – Rosolio di Bergamotto (Italy)
- J. Rieger & Co. Caffe Amaro (United States)
- Luxardo Bitter Bianco (Italy)
- Plantation O.F.T.D. (Cognac, France)
- Rieger’s Monogram Whiskey, 2017 Olorso Bota (United States)
- Shrubb J.M. (Martinique)
- The Bitter Truth Olive Bitters (Germany)
WORLD’S BEST COCKTAIL MENU
- American Bar at The Savoy (London, UK)
- Beaufort Bar at The Savoy (London, UK)
- Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour (Phoenix, United States)
- BlackTail (New York, United States)
- Mace (New York, United States)
- Pouring Ribbons (New York, United States)
- The Dead Rabbit (New York, United States)
- The Drifter (Chicago, United States)
- Tippling Club (Singapore)
- Trick Dog (San Francisco, United States)
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)