2015 Spirited Award Winners

July 23, 2015

tales-of-the-cocktail-2015-spirited-awards-crdt-jennifer-mitchell

Tales of the Cocktail has come and gone, and once again the Spirited Award honored people and places across the spirits and cocktail world. Several notable wins happened during the 9th annual event, including Ivy Mix’s crowning as the first female bartender to win Bartender of the Year, and Dead Rabbit’s sweep of both World’s Best Bar and World’s Best Cocktail Menu. Check out the full list of winners below.

American Categories

Best American Bar Team
Employees Only (New York)

American Bartender of the Year
Ivy Mix (New York)

Best American Brand Ambassador
Brooke Arthur (House Spirits/Aviation Gin)

Best American Cocktail Bar
Williams & Graham (Denver)

Best American High-Volume Cocktail Bar
Employees Only (New York)

Best American Hotel Bar
The Broken Shaker (Miami Beach)

Best American Restaurant Bar
Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks (Boston)

Best New American Cocktail Bar
ABV (San Francisco)

International Categories

Best International Bar Team
28 Hong Kong Street (Singapore)

International Bartender of the Year
Ryan Chetiyawardana (London)

Best International Brand Ambassador
Claire Smith-Warner (Belvedere Vodka)

Best International Cocktail Bar
Artesian (London)

Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar
The Black Pearl & The Attic (Melbourne)

Best International Hotel Bar
Beaufort Bar, The Savoy (London)

Best International Restaurant Bar
Blind Pig at Social Eating House (London)

Best New International Cocktail Bar
Dandelyan (London)

Writing Categories

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer
Dave Broom

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book
Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold

Best New Spirits Book
Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication
PUNCH

Overall Categories

Best Bar Mentor
Jim Meehan (Portland)

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient
Amaro di Angostura

World’s Best Cocktail Menu
Dead Rabbit (New York)

World’s Best Spirits Selection
Canon (Seattle)

World’s Best Bar
Dead Rabbit (New York)

Special Recognitions

Lifetime Achievement Award
Jonathan Downey

Sam Guarino Citation
Steve Mannan

Emma Janzen

Emma Janzen is an award-winning book author and journalist who reports on global drinking cultures for outlets including The New York Times, PUNCH, The World’s 50 Best Bars, and more. The recipient of two James Beard Foundation awards and two Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, she co-authored The Way of the Cocktail with Julia Momosé, The Bartender’s Manifesto with Toby Maloney, and The Bartender’s Pantry with Jim Meehan; authored Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit; and has contributed and consulted on other texts including The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails by David Wondrich and Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster. She currently serves as the Midwest Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars and has been included in the Drinks International Bar World 100, an annual list of the industry’s most influential people, since 2023.