Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is honored to announce the winners of the 18th annual Spirited Awards®. Since its founding in 2007, the Spirited Awards® have become one of the industry’s most revered awards, recognizing beverage professionals, products, and establishments across every facet of the spirits and cocktail community on a global scale. In partnership with Forbes, the Spirited Awards® official media partner, TOTCF honored recipients during the Spirited Awards® Ceremony which took place at the Tales of the Cocktail® (TOTC) conference in New Orleans.

The Spirited Awards® are comprised of domestic and international industry accolades, writing and media awards, and overall awards that transcend regionality, including World’s Best Bar and World’s Best Cocktail Menu. Today, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is proud to announce the Winners of each International, U.S., and Global category. The evening’s award recipients were carefully considered by a panel of over 250 industry experts, led by Charlotte Voisey, the Spirited Awards® Overall Chair. 

“It is with great enormous delight that we announce the winners of the 2024 Spirited Awards! Congratulations to everyone who was honored tonight, you and your teams are the very embodiment of the Tales 2024 theme “Inspire.”  We are so proud to recognize, and celebrate your achievements!” said Spirited Awards Overall Chair Charlotte Voisey. “Thank you to the Spirited Awards Committee and everyone made this event so special, it has been an unforgettable year.”

Recognized through the lens of the 2024 conference theme, “Inspire” – winners were chosen who embrace growth through the collective sharing of ideas and energy. The winners of this year’s Spirited Awards® have made invaluable strides gathering and sharing inspiration amongst the global cocktail community. 

2024 Spirited Awards® Winners

International Categories

International Bartender of the Year presented by The House of Lustau

- Eric van Beek — Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City, Mexico

Best International Bar Mentor presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- Danil Nevsky

Best International Brand Ambassador presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- Dave Mitton — Lot 40 / J.P. Wiser's

Best International Bar Team presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- Handshake Speakeasy — Mexico City, Mexico

Best International Cocktail Bar presented by PATRÓN Tequila

- ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

Best International Hotel Bar presented by Fords Gin 

- BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Bangkok — Bangkok, Thailand

Best International Restaurant Bar presented by Gin Mare 

- Danico — Paris, France

Best New International Cocktail Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy

- Bar Leone — Hong Kong, China

U.S. Categories

U.S. Bartender of the Year presented by Pernod Ricard

- Kapri Robinson — Allegory, Washington, D.C.

Best U.S. Bar Mentor presented Jameson Irish Whiskey 

- Alex Jump

Best U.S. Brand Ambassador presented Tales of the Cocktail Foundation 

- Anna Mains — Monkey Shoulder

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

- Jewel of the South — New Orleans, LA

Best U.S. Cocktail Bar presented by Del Maguey Mezcal

- Yacht Club — Denver, CO

Best U.S. Hotel Bar presented by Grey Goose

- Allegory at the Eaton Hotel — Washington, D.C.

Best U.S. Restaurant Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation 

- Cleaver - Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails — Las Vegas, NV

Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar presented by Diageo Bar Academy

- Superbueno — New York, NY

Writing and Media Categories

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- The Cocktail Lovers

Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- Bartender at Large

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- "A New Spirit Confronts the Consequences of Colonialism," by Adaorah Oduah, for Punch

Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- The Ice Book: Cool Cubes, Clear Spheres, and Other Chill Cocktail Crafts by Camper English

Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin

Global Categories

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

- YUZUCO Yuzu Super Juice

World’s Best Cocktail Menu presented by Diageo Bar Academy

- Handshake Speakeasy — Mexico City, Mexico

World’s Best Spirits Selection presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- Baba Au Rum — Athens, Greece

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award presented by William Grant & Sons

- Hidetsugu Ueno

Timeless International Award presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- Café Pacifico — London, UK

Timeless U.S. Award presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- The Buena Vista — San Francisco, CA

Tales Visionary Award Presented by Johnnie Walker

- Colin Asare-Appiah

World’s Best Bar presented by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation

- ALQUÍMICO — Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

Spirited Awards® Judges

Below is a list of Spirited Awards® Chairs, responsible for overseeing the judging process this year

Spirited Awards® Overall Chair

- Charlotte Voisey

Asia Pacific Co-Chairs

- Sam Bygrave

- Andrew Ho

- Symphony Loo

- Charmaine Thio

Canada Co-Chairs

- Kate Boushel

- Jonathan Smolensky

Europe Co-Chairs 

- Stephanie Jordan

- Roberta Mariani

Latin America & Caribbean Co-Chairs

- Carlos Aguinsky

- Georgina Barbachano García

Middle East & Africa Co-Chairs

- Stephen “KOJO” Aidoo

- Caitlin Hill

- Nana Sechere

U.S. Central Co-Chairs 

- Joshua Gandee

- Lynn M. House

U.S. East Co-Chairs

- Jackson Cannon

- Jaymee Mandeville

U.S. West Co-Chairs

- Jason Asher

- Erin Schaeferle

Timeless Co-Chairs

- Jared Brown

- Anistatia Miller

Writing & Media Co-Chairs

- Ryan Chetiyawardana

- Emma Janzen

- Sandrae Lawrence

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. 

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards® Committee is dedicated to valuing the inclusion of the communities the foundation serves, by ensuring that our judging panel reflects their incredible diversity in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. Recognizing that inclusion is key to a well-represented committee, TOTCF strives to ensure that we have an equitable representation of gender across the judging panel. The Spirited Awards® are not based on popular vote and all nominations are evaluated by their respective judging committees. 

Spirited Awards® Directory 

Tales of the Cocktail is pleased to share the Spirited Awards® Directory giving discerning imbibers a comprehensive compendium of all Spirited Awards® winners and nominees from the past 18 years. This resource is updated annually, making it a go-to guide for planning the perfect drinking and dining itinerary. Access Spirited Awards® Directory to explore award-winning bars. 

A Special Thanks: Spirited Awards® Sponsors

Tales of the Cocktail Foundation would like to thank all of its Spirited Awards® Title Partners: Diageo Bar Academy and Pernod Ricard USA (Del Maguey Mezcal, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Pernod Ricard); Presenting Partners: Bacardi Limited (Grey Goose and PATRÓN Tequila), Brown-Forman (Fords Gin and Gin Mare), and William Grant & Sons; Supporting Partners: The House of Lustau and Johnnie Walker; Official Champagne: G.H.Mumm; Official Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine: Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic; and Official Water Partner of Tales of the Cocktail 2024: Maison Perrier.