Say Hello to New York Bartender Week

Decades after New York City kickstarted the cocktail renaissance, its home state finally gets a weeklong event for bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts. Award-winning Manhattan public relations and marketing firm, Hanna Lee Communications (HLC), whose clients include popular NYC spots such as Shinji’s Bar and Jimmy, launched New York Bartender Week to celebrate bartenders and spotlight the state’s bars as cocktail destinations.

From November 18 to 24, participating bars and restaurants around the state will create and serve cocktails made from a New York–produced spirit or mixer, supporting the small businesses and the state’s agriculture community while minimizing the carbon footprint. The Portrait Bar in New York City is featuring an Empire State take on its Mapo District cocktail with soju, sesame oil-washed scotch, cucumber, lemon, and pineapple-vanilla cordial. And Martini lovers at Shinji’s Bar in Manhattan’s Flatiron District will get to enjoy a New York-focused version of its Honeypenny, featuring beeswax-washed vodka, a house-made aperitif with golden raisins and honey, mead, and gins.

Bars that want to join the festivities can sign up until October 6. The event also invites sports bars, dive bars, hotel bars, and restaurant bars—not just craft cocktail bars—outside of New York City to participate. “New York Bartender Week is dedicated to providing a level playing field to all participating bars and New York State producers who will all be treated equally,” says Hanna Lee, HLC president and founder. “We are excited to introduce emerging brands to the bar community at large.” New Yorkers are encouraged to not only visit their favorite local bars but to explore those in the state’s other cities, towns, and hamlets.

Meanwhile, those in the industry can look forward to an invitation-only gala and “Excellence in Storytelling Awards” event that kicks off the week on November 18. A panel of esteemed journalists will evaluate and award short essays by bartenders, barbacks, and bar owners for their inspirational power. “Through our ‘Excellence in Storytelling Awards,’ we want to acknowledge those who make our community so much more spirited and vital,” says HLC editor in chief and co-author of The Japanese Art of the Cocktail, Michael Anstendig. The following day, trade panels and seminars led by industry experts will delve into topics such as the future of the bar industry and the rising popularity of New York’s spirits and beverages.

For HLC, New York is just the beginning. In 2025, the agency will be partnering with other states in the U.S. as well as countries around the world, sharing the Bartender Week programming to help drive cocktail tourism to those areas. Confirmed partners include New Mexico Bartender Week with Happy Accidents’ Kate Gerwin, Nevada Bartender Week with The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, Kenya Bartender Week with Hero Bar’s Richie Barrow and Kelvin Thairu, and Colombia Bartender Week with Alquímico’s Jean Trinh.