Mayahuel, Death & Co. Wins Spirits Awards at Tales of the Cocktail

The Tales of the Cocktail convention culminates every year in the annual presentation of the Spirited Awards. Last year, there was some carping within the cocktail community that too many of the winners hailed from New York, with bars like Pegu Club, Clover Club and PDT taking home prizes. To prevent that, the nominating committee has noticeably more people on it in 2010 that didn't hail from Gotham. And, indeed, there were a good amount of non-New York nominees. Places like The Varnish in L.A., the Rickhouse in San Fran, and Cure in New Orleans got nods. (The confusion-making hair-spitting among the categories—Best American Cocktail Bar, World's Best Cocktail Bar, World's Best New Cocktail Bar, World's Best Hotel Bar—rather makes my head swim, I must admit. Where's Best Doorman-ed Cocktail Bar?)

But, in the end, New York showed well again. Death & Co. was named the Best American Cocktail Bar, as well as nabbing the Best Cocktail Menu award. Mayahuel was called the Best New Cocktail Bar. And local boys Dale DeGroff and Brian Rea won laurels. It was nice, however, to see good old Murray Stenson of Seattle's Zig Zig Bar win for Best American Bartender of the Year.

Here are the partial results:


Best American Cocktail Bar
· The Clover Club, Brooklyn
· Death & Co., NYC
· Rickhouse, San Francisco
· The Varnish, Los Angeles 

World’s Best Hotel Bar
· The Artesian at the Langham, London
· The Bar at The Connaught Hotel, London
· Florida Room at The Delano, Florida
· Hemingway Bar, Paris



Best Cocktail Writing
· CLASS magazine
· Gary Regan
· Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller
· Naren Young

Best New Product
· Celery Bitters, The Bitter Truth
· Cocktail Kingdom’s barware
· Crème Yvette by Cooper Spirits
· Meehan Cocktail Bag by Jim Meehan

Best American Brand Ambassador
· Charlotte Voisey, Hendrick’s Gin
· Jacques Bezuidenhout, Partida
· Jamie Gordon, Absolut
· Tals Nadari, Bols

American Bartender of the Year
· Eric Alperin, The Varnish
· Kenta Goto, The Pegu Club
· Murray Stenson, Zig Zag
· Sam Ross, Milk & Honey


World’s Best Cocktail Menu
· Death & Co, NYC
· Lonsdale, London
· Mayahuel, NYC
· Rickhouse, San Francisco

International Bartender of the Year
· Agostino Perrone, The Connaught Hotel, London
· Brian Miller, Death & Co, NYC
· Salvatore Calabrese, London
· Sam Ross, Milk & Honey, NYC

World’s Best New Cocktail Bar
· Cure, New Orleans
· Dutch Kills, Queens
· Mayahuel, NYC
· Rickhouse, San Francisco

World’s Best Cocktail Bar
· 69 Colebrooke Row, London
· The Cocktail Bar at The Merchant Hotel, Belfast
· Death & Co, NYC
· Quo Vadis, London

Best International Brand Ambassador
· Angus Winchester, Tanqueray
· Dan Warner, Beefeater
· Jacob Briars, 42 Below
· John Gakuru, Sagatiba

Best Bar Mentor
· Dale DeGroff
· Robert Hess
· Sasha Petraske
· Tony Abou-Ganim

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award
· Brian Rea
· Gary Regan
· Murray Stenson
· Tony Abou-Ganim

The Sipping News

The New York Times reviews Phil Ward's Mayahuel.

So does Time Out New York, again positively.

Eric Asimov writes about Shinn Estate Vineyards, whose Long Island wines I like fine. I was just drinking their rose last night. Substantial, deep red, dry yet full.

Alice Fiering bemoans how blogs (like this one? like her own?) have devalued writing and caused publishers to expect copy in exchange for "exposure," as opposed to money. I know from what she speaks. But I also embrace the positive side of blogging, the immediacy, the freedom, the personal tone.

The annual Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Award nominees were announced, Camper English among them.

St. John Frizell's new Red Hook joint, Fort Defiance, will open this weekend. Liquor license to come in July.

Dr. Bamboo has a very bad Martini.