Tales of the Cocktail's Spirited Awards, held each year in New Orleans at the end of the five-day cocktail conference, is possibly the most prestigious awards ceremony in the drinks world. Leading up to the July conference, finalists are announced in two rounds — first there are lists of 10 semifinalists in each category, and then the list is narrowed to four finalists. This afternoon, that list of finalists was announced with much fanfare during a live webcast, and while many Los Angeles bars didn't make the final cut, a number of our best bars are up for awards. 

Both Honeycut and Harvard & Stone are up for Best American High-Volume Cocktail Bar, which recognizes bars with a capacity of 100 people or more. According to the awards website, “This award celebrates the bars that deliver cocktail culture to the masses efficiently.”

The Spare Room in the Roosevelt Hotel is up for best American Hotel Bar.  

In other categories, Northern California cleaned up, with three of the four nominations for Best American Cocktail Bar (Prizefighter in Emeryville and Smuggler’s Cove and Trick Dog in San Francisco), and London absolutely dominated the international categories. 

You can see the full list of nominees below. The awards ceremony takes place on Saturday, July 18. 

American Categories

Best American Bar Team
ABV (San Francisco)
Dead Rabbit (New York)
Employees Only (New York)
Williams & Graham (Denver)

American Bartender of the Year
Chris Hannah (New Orleans)
Bobby Heugel (Houston)
Ivy Mix (New York)
Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Portland)

Best American Brand Ambassador
Brooke Arthur (House Spirits)
Colin Asare-Appiah (Bacardi)
Jamie Gordon (Absolut Elyx)
Chris Patino (Pernod-Ricard)

Best American Cocktail Bar
Prizefighter (Emeryville)
Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)
Trick Dog (San Francisco)
Williams & Graham (Denver)

Best American High-Volume Cocktail Bar
Employees Only (New York)
Flatiron Lounge (New York)
Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles)
Honeycut (Los Angeles)

Best American Hotel Bar
Sable Kitchen and Bar (Chicago)
Spare Room (Los Angeles)
The Broken Shaker (Miami Beach)
The Hawthorne (Boston)

Best American Restaurant Bar
Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks (Boston)
Gramercy Tavern (New York)
Nopa (San Francisco)
The Rieger Hotel Grill and Exchange (Kansas City)

Best New American Cocktail Bar
ABV (San Francisco)
Julep (Houston)
Latitude 29 (New Orleans)
The NoMad Bar (New York)

International Categories

Best International Bar Team
28 Hong Kong Street (Singapore)
American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London)
Black Pearl (Melbourne)
Le Lion Bar de Paris (Hamburg)

International Bartender of the Year
Marian Beke (London)
Ryan Chetiyawardana (London)
Zdenek Kastanek (Singapore)
Hidetsugu Ueno (Tokyo)

Best International Brand Ambassador
Ian Burrell (Global Rum)
Dean Callan (Monkey Shoulder)
George Nemec (Becherovka)
Claire Smith-Warner (Belvedere Vodka)

Best International Cocktail Bar
Artesian (London)
Candelaria (Paris)
Happiness Forgets (London)
White Lyan (London)

Best International High-Volume Cocktail Bar
Callooh Callay (London)
Eau de Vie (Melbourne)
The Black Pearl/The Attic (Melbourne)
Trailer Happiness (London)

Best International Hotel Bar
American Bar, The Savoy (London)
Beaufort Bar, The Savoy (London)
The Punch Room, The Edition Hotel (London)
Zetter Townhouse (London)

Best International Restaurant Bar
Blind Pig at Social Eating House (London)
Hawksmoor Spitalfields (London)
Tippling Club (Singapore)
Zuma (Dubai)

Best New International Cocktail Bar
Bar Termini (London)
Dandelyan (London)
Le Syndicat Cocktail Club (Paris)
The Clumsies (Athens)

Writing Categories

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication
Difford's Guide
Liquor.com
PUNCH
The Cocktail Lovers

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer
Dave Broom
Camper English
Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Robert Simonson

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book
Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald and Alex Day
Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold
The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
The Old-Fashioned by Robert Simonson

Best New Spirits Book
Sherry by Talia Baiocchi
The Curious Bartender: An Odyssey of Malt Bourbon & Rye Whiskies by Tristan Stephenson
Thinking Drinkers: The Enlightened Imbiber's Guide to Alcohol by Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham
Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom

Overall Categories

Best Bar Mentor
Bridget Albert (Chicago)
Francesco Lafranconi (Las Vegas)
Jim Meehan (Portland)
Angus Winchester (London)

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient
Amaro di Angostura
J. Rieger & Co. Kansas City Whiskey
Mister Katz’s Rock and Rye
Suze Bitters

World’s Best Cocktail Menu
Artesian (London)
Beaufort Bar at the Savoy (London)
Dead Rabbit (New York)
Trick Dog (San Francisco)

World’s Best Spirits Selection
Canon (Seattle)
Multnomah Whiskey Library (Portland)
The Baxter Inn (Sydney)
Tommy's Mexican Restaurant (San Francisco)

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