Last week, bartenders, writers and others in the cocktail world descended upon New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, an annual five-day event that includes lots of parties and drinking (of course), as well as classes, product launches and cocktail competitions.
The big event of the week is the Spirited Awards, which honors the best bars, bartenders, products and media, as voted on by liquor industry professionals. The big winners at Saturday night's event were New York's Dead Rabbit, the awesome old New York-themed bar, which took home the awards for World's Best Cocktail Menu and the biggest award of the night—World's Best Bar. And that's good news for Chicago too, as founders Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry are opening GreenRiver later this year with talented bartender Julia Momose, last of the Office.
Here's the full list of winners:
American Awards
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)
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 Awards
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)
Overall Awards
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)
Media Awards
Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication: PUNCH
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