By Andy Young, Editor The Shout
Two Australian bars have been named as Top Four finalists in three of the prestigious Spirited Awards, which are part of the annual Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans.
Having named its Top 10 finalists last week, those nominees have been narrowed down to four in each category, with the winners to be announced at the awards ceremony, which takes place at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans on July 22.
Ann Tuennerman, Founder of Tales of the Cocktail, said: “We’re all anticipating finding out who will take home the Spirited Award in each category. But just making this list as a finalist is an accomplishment.
“These finalists and all the other nominees are an indication of the strength of our industry.”
Black Pearl in Melbourne has made the top four in two categories: Best International Bar Team and Best International Cocktail Bar. They were joined in the finals by The Baxter Inn, which was nominated in the Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar category.
The Spirited Awards sees a panel of 140 industry experts, led by Charlotte Voisey (Chairperson), Jacob Briars (International Judging Committee Chairman), Paul Clarke (Writing Committee Chairman) and Brooke Arthur, Bridget Albert and Derek Brown (US Judging Committee Chairs), take part in a week-long voting process to choose their picks for Awards finalists.
These votes are then reviewed and tallied up by Advisory Committee Members to determine the top finalists in each category, with a total of 24 Spirited Awards handed out.
Spirited Awards Australian Finalists:
Best International Bar Team
- Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia)
- Dandelyan (London, UK)
- Lost + Found Drinkery (Nicosia, Cyprus)
- The Connaught Bar (London, UK)
Best International Cocktail Bar
- Black Pearl (Melbourne, Australia)
- Bramble (Edinburgh, UK)
- Le Syndicat (Paris, France)
- Little Red Door (Paris, France)
Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar
- Oriole (London, UK)
- Panda & Sons (Edinburgh, Scotland)
- The Baxter Inn (Sydney, Australia)
- Trailer Happiness (London, UK)
