World’s Best Bars: The Nominees For The 2024 Spirited Awards

The top bars, bartenders, brand ambassadors and spirits writers will be honored at the Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans this July.

^{By Michael Solomon, Forbes Staff}

Expect the champagne to be flowing tonight at the best bars around the world as the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation announced the nominees for the 2024 Spirited Awards.

Established in 2007 and considered to be among the hospitality industry’s highest honors, the Spirited Awards are part of the annual Tales of the Cocktail festival held in New Orleans in July, honoring the finest bars, bartenders, brand ambassadors, and spirits journalists from around the world. The awards are selected by a jury of hospitality peers—acclaimed bartenders, bar owners, and journalists and authors. (Full disclosure: Forbes is the official media partner of the Spirited Awards.)

While there many familiar watering holes among this year’s nominees—including Double Chicken Please in New York (nominated for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar last year as well), Happy Accidents in Albuquerque, New Mexico (which was nominated in 2023 for Best U.S. Bar Team) and Alquímico in Cartagena, Colombia (which won for Best International Bar Team in 2023)—there are also some innovative newcomers among this year’s top four nominees, including Kumiko in Chicago and Cat Bite Club in Singapore.

In the United States, New York continues its dominance with five nominations this year, plus Katana Kitten’s Masa Urushido, who was nominated for U.S. Bartender of the Year for the second year in a row. But Washington, D.C. is right behind with four nominations. Internationally, Singapore continues its ascent as a top cocktail city with five nominations, matching London’s total this year. Mexico is also on the rise with Spirited Award nominations for bars in Mexico City and Tulum.

“While the nomination process and number of judges hasn’t changed,” says Eileen Wayner, CEO of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF), which hosts the festival and the awards, “we attribute this growth to a recognition for the talent coming out of the bars themselves, and the impact they are making in their home cities. Another huge factor is that people are traveling again—and searching out exceptional cocktail experiences when they do.”

For those who want an atlas of nominees, Tales of the Cocktail built an interactive map of the world’s best bars in 2022. “This year we’ve added 146 bars to our directory,” says Wayner, “which means that there are 146 new bars being recognized for the first time by the Spirited Awards.”

While most nominees will have to wait until July 25 to learn if they actually won a Spirited Award, there are at least two bars (London’s Cafe Pacifico and San Francisco’s Buena Vista Cafe) and one bartender, Hidetsugu Ueno, who can raise a glass in celebration tonight. Ueno, 2016’s International Bartender of the Year, will be honored with the Helen David Lifetime Achievement Awards as the proprietor of Tokyo’s Ginza-style Bar High Five.

Cafe Pacifico, which will be awarded the prestigious Timeless International Award, introduced tequila and authentic Mexican cuisine to the UK, while Buena Vista Cafe will be honored with the Timeless Award for the United States. The bar is renowned for having introduced Irish coffee to America, serving 2,000 Irish coffees per day, and for serving more Irish whiskey annually than any other bar on the planet.

2024 Spirited Awards Nominees

UNITED STATES

Best U.S. Cocktail Bar

Double Chicken Please (New York, NY)

Happy Accidents (Albuquerque, NM)

Overstory (New York, NY)

Yacht Club (Denver, CO)

Best U.S. Hotel Bar

Allegory at the Eaton Hotel (Washington, D.C.)

Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott (Phoenix, AZ)

Pacific Standard at the KEX Portland (Portland, OR)

The Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)

Best U.S. Restaurant Bar

Cleaver: Butchered Meats, Seafood and Classic Cocktails (Las Vegas, NV)

Jaguar Sun (Miami, FL)

Kumiko (Chicago, IL)

Palomar (Portland, OR)

Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar

Cobra (Columbus, OH)

Medium Cool Cocktail Lounge (Miami Beach, FL)

Paradise Lost (New York, NY)

Superbueno (New York, NY)

U.S. Bartender of the Year

McLain Hedges (Yacht Club, Denver, CO)

Christine Kim (Service Bar, Washington, D.C.)

Kapri Robinson (Allegory, Washington, D.C.)

Masa Urushido (Katana Kitten, New York, NY)

Best U.S. Bar Team

Century Grand (Phoenix, AZ)

Jewel of the South (New Orleans, LA)

Pacific Cocktail Haven (San Francisco, CA)

Service Bar (Washington, D.C.)

Best U.S. Bar Mentor

Anu Apte

Jason Asher

Kate Gerwin

Alex Jump

Best U.S. Brand Ambassador

Tad Carducci (Gruppo Montenegro)

Benny Hurwitz (Campari American Whiskeys)

Anna Mains (Monkey Shoulder)

Natasha Sofia (Mijenta Tequila)

INTERNATIONAL

Best International Cocktail Bar

🔶🟥🔵 (London, UK)

Alquímico (Cartagena des Indias, Colombia)

Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City, Mexico)

Satan’s Whiskers (London, UK)

Best International Hotel Bar

ARGO at the Four Seasons (Hong Kong)

BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Bangkok (Bangkok, Thailand)

Charles H. at the Four Seasons Hotel (Seoul, South Korea)

Side Hustle at The NoMad Hotel London (London, UK)

Best International Restaurant Bar

ARCA Tulum (Tulum, Mexico)

Bar Kismet (Halifax, NS, Canada)

Burnt Ends Bar (Singapore)

Danico (Paris, France)

Best New International Cocktail Bar

Bar Leone (Hong Kong)

Bar Nouveau (Paris, France)

Bar Us (Bangkok, Thailand)

Cat Bite Club (Singapore)

International Bartender of the Year

Lorenzo Antinori (Bar Leone, Hong Kong)

Kate Boushel (Atwater Cocktail Club, Milky Way Cocktail Bar, Bon Délire, Montreal, Canada)

Eric van Beek (Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City, Mexico)

Luke Whearty (Byrdi, Melbourne, Australia)

Best International Bar Team

Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City, Mexico)

Hanky Panky (Mexico City, Mexico)

Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel (Singapore)

Panda & Sons (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Best International Bar Mentor

Ryan Chetiyawardana

Iain McPherson

Danil Nevsky

Christina Veira

Best International Brand Ambassador

Claudia Cabrera (Fratelli Branca)

Jesse Estes (Tequila Ocho)

Caitlin Hill (Rémy Cointreau)

Dave Mitton (Lot 40 / J.P. Wiser’s)

WRITING & MEDIA

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication

Class magazine

SevenFifty Daily

The Cocktail Lovers

The Spirits Business

Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series

Bartender at Large

Like•a•ble Cocktails by Kaitlyn Stewart

Perspectives by Campari Academy

Radio Imbibe

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing

“A New Spirit Confronts the Consequences of Colonialism,” by Adaorah Oduah, for Punch

“Facing Rum’s Problematic Past Is Allowing Producers to Embrace the Spirit’s Future,” by Christine Sismondo, for Imbibe

“Indigenous Women Working in Mezcal Are Ready to Be Recognized for Their Work,” by Shayna Conde, for Wine Enthusiast

“Meet the People Keeping Queer Bars Safe,” by Rax Will, for Punch

Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book

Slow Drinks: A Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Sodas, Botanical Cocktails, Homemade Wines, and More by Danny Childs

The Book of Cocktail Ratios: The Surprising Simplicity of Classic Cocktails by Michael Ruhlman

The Ice Book: Cool Cubes, Clear Spheres, and Other Chill Cocktail Crafts by Camper English

Tropical Standard: Cocktail Techniques and Reinvented Recipes by Garret Richard and Ben Schaffer

Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits

How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life by Mandy Naglich

Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks—a Cool History of a Hot Commodity by Amy Brady

Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin

The Maison Premiere Almanac Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe, and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete, and Flaneur: A Cocktail Recipe Book by Joshua Boissy, Krystof Zizka, Jordan Mackay, William Eilliott

GLOBAL

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient

Don Fulano Tequila 20 Anniversary Sherry Cask Añejo

J. Rieger & Co. Monogram Whiskey 2023 Kansas City Whiskey (Solera Reserve)

Worthy Park 109

Yuzuco Yuzu Super Juice

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

Allegory at the Eaton Hotel (Washington, D.C.)

Alquímico (Cartagena des Indias, Colombia)

Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City, Mexico)

Jigger & Pony at the Amara Hotel (Singapore)

World’s Best Spirits Selection

Baba Au Rum (Athens, Greece)

Eleven Madison Park (New York, NY)

Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library (Portland, OR)

Origin Bar at the Shangri-La Hotel (Singapore)

Timeless U.S. Award

The Buena Vista Cafe (San Francisco, CA)

Timeless International Award

Café Pacifico (London, UK)

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award

Hidetsugu Ueno

Tales Visionary Award

Colin Asare-Appiah

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