Introducing the 2016 Imbibe 75

By now, freshly minted copies of our January/February issue have likely hit your mailbox. Every year, Imbibe’s editorial team scouts bars, cafés and breweries across the country in search of the people, places and flavors shaping the way we’ll drink in the coming year for our annual Imbibe 75 issue. This year’s Imbibe 75 is made up of many up-and-coming drinkmakers, places and flavors that should be on every imbiber’s agenda, but there are plenty of familiar faces too—longtime drinks pros whose stars are shining brighter than ever, or who are shifting course in ambitious new directions.

Meaghan Dorman, our Bartender of the Year, and Juliette Pope, our Wine Person of the Year, are both stalwarts in their respective professions, having graduated from “promising newcomers” to “industry influencers” over the course of their careers. Chicago tiki bar Lost Lake—our Cocktail Bar of the Year—showcases longtime bartender Paul McGee’s lasting impact on the drinks world, and Onyx Coffee Lab in Arkansas—our Coffee Bar of the Year—demonstrates what can happen when experienced coffee pros continually challenge themselves to be better. Read more about our Wine bar of the Year Union Larder here. And our People to Watch list also features familiar figures like bar impresario Bill Norris, bartender Chris McMillian, beer authority Julia Herz, barista Jesse Crouse, distiller Chip Tate and winemaker Randall Grahm—individuals who have devoted decades of their lives to improving the world of drinks, and continue to make bold new moves for the future.

Later this year, Imbibe will celebrate its 10th anniversary, and as we continue to share with you the most exciting new places and flavors to experience, we’re also raising a glass to the people and places who’ve been around with us from the beginning, and have helped shape this dynamic world of drinks. Be sure to stay tuned here at imbibemagazine.com for more insights into this year’s Imbibe 75, and keep an eye out for what we’ve got planned for the new year ahead.