The Number one Source & Authority on Bartending, On Premise and Beyond!
Bartending |
Recipes |
Advertise with us! |
Shop |
© Bartender.com
Tag Archive for: competition
Charles Joly Joins 2024 Bartender Spirits Awards Judging Panel
Charles Joly, World Class Global Bartending Winner and Official mixologist of the Emmy’s and Oscars Joins 2024 Bartender Spirits Awards Judging Panel.
Bartender Spirits Awards is pleased to share that Charles Joly, World Class Global Bartending Winner and Official mixologist of the Emmy’s and Oscars Joins 2024 Bartender Spirits Awards Judging Panel.
A global bartending champion, James Beard Award winning beverage designer and guest experience guru, Charles Joly is a leader in the international craft cocktail and spirits movement. With over 20 years in the hospitality industry, he has helped to usher in the modern age of the cocktail.
Fresh off of his fifth year creating and serving the signature cocktails at the Oscars and Emmys, he is a go-to entertainment personality for sources like People, E!, Access Hollywood, US Weekly, The Today Show, Rachel Ray and others. Charles is sought out for his refined palate, creativity and no-nonsense approach to hosting.
As one of the most respected authorities in the beverage field, Charles regularly shares the stage with his celebrity counterparts from the culinary world. He’s had the honor of creating cocktail pairings alongside Dominque Crenn, Stephanie Izard, Jose Andres and other visionaries.
Charles recently shared a judging panel with Andrew Zimmern and Emeril at Eric Ripert’s Cayman Cookout, because even bartenders need to eat. His shakers have a lot of miles on them, helming the bar at marquis events like the Grammys, Kentucky Derby, Jimmy Kimmel’s after parties and quieter affairs such as the Scott Brother’s 40th Birthday, Oprah’s 25th anniversary, celebrity weddings and private performances.
Regardless of the venue, Charles never strays from his light-hearted and direct take on cocktails: respect your guest, respect your craft, be present, use honest ingredients and have fun along the way! The only American ever to win World Class by Diageo, the largest and most prestigious bartending competition on the planet, Charles has racked up an impressive list of awards. Highlights include NBC’s On the Rocks reality series, where he took home top honors and $100,000 prize, 4 James Beard nominations in addition to his win, making the list of “10 of the Most Influential Bartenders” by Bon Appétit and being named “US Bartender of the Year” by Tales of the Cocktail. His passion for culture, history, traditions and the people behind the cocktails and spirits we love have taken him to more than 50 countries.
Charles teamed up with Fortessa Tableware Solutions to create a functional and stunning line of bar tools and glassware for the home bartender and professional alike. Entertainment experts like Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel agreed that he had hit the mark and joined in as partners. Charles was raised by his grandparents on Chicago’s South Side and continues to carry on his blue collar roots.
He’s been fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with fantastic charities over the years including No Kid Hungry/Taste of the Nation, Meals On Wheels, Habitat For Humanity, countless rescue animal organizations and many others.
When he’s not mixing up cocktails, Charles is spending time with his rescue pittie, Jackson (#AdoptDontShop), scouring vintage and flea markets for buried treasure that he shares on his Instagram account @TellTailVintage and trying to keep his many house plants alive.
- Academy Awards, Official Mixologist 2015-2020
- Emmys, Official Mixologist 2015-2020
- Grammys, Official Mixologist 2015
- Kentucky Derby, Official Mixologist 2015-2018
- 2015/2016/2017/2018 James Beard Awards, Beverage Professional semi-finalist
- 2014- Diageo World Class Global Champion, only American to ever win this title
- 2014- World’s Best Cocktail Menu, Tales of the Cocktail
- 2013- James Beard Award, Outstanding Beverage Program
- 2013- US Bartender of the Year, Tales of the Cocktail
- NBC “On the Rocks” $100,000 Winner,
- Best Bartender in America
- Bon Appétit- 10 Most Influential Bartenders of the Past 10 Years
- Wine Enthusiast- 40 Under 40 Spirits/Wine Professionals
- Crain’s Business, 2014- 40 Under 40
And the list keeps going.
Sid Patel, CEO of Beverage Trade Network and Bartender Spirits Awards
‘I am extremely pleased with the 2024 judging panel. Brands will get solid value by being judged by these judges as brands will be getting a detailed score breakdown, market feedback and professional tasting notes from these buyers. These are really America’s top bartenders, mixologists and bar managers and to win a medal here will be a solid feedback if the goal is to grow in the on-premise channel of USA’, says, Sid Patel, CEO of Beverage Trade Network, Organizers of Bartender Spirits Awards.
Using the tagline “Judged By Bartenders, Bar Managers, and Off-Premise Managers For The On-Premise Industry,” the Bartender Spirits Awards will recognize, encourage, promote, and celebrate excellence in the U.S. drinks industry for the 6th time. The aim of this international spirits competition is to provide independent and honest reviews for brands targeting the U.S. bar trade.
The judging panel consists of some of the most renowned names in the U.S. bar industry, all of them with extensive expertise within the on-premise industry. The result will be a relevant and practical source of reference for bartenders, bar managers, bar owners, and other industry professionals when making purchasing decisions for their establishments.
Brands looking to enter into America’s leading spirits competition for the on-premise should enter before October 31 to get the super early bird pricing.
Get In Front Of Leading Bartenders and Grow Your On-Premise Presence. Now Accepting International and Domestic Submissions. Enter Your Brands Before Super Early Deadline Is October 31, 2023, and Save.
2024 London Spirits Competition Is Now Open For Submission
2024 London Spirits Competition Is Now Open For Submission
Brands looking to enter into the 7th annual London Spirits Competition are encouraged to submit now and get product feedback from the leading trade buyers of the world.
The London Spirits Competition reviews brands in the same way that consumers do: by what they taste like; what the bottle or design looks like; and how much it costs. Any drinks competition relies on two things: the quality of the products that are entered; and the respect of the expertise of the judges tasked with picking out the winners. The London Spirits Competition has focused on both as each year it builds its reputation around the world amongst the leading distillers, brand owners and drinks distributors.
The London Spirits Competition has been created exclusively by the Beverage Trade Network, global drinks event and publishing group dedicated to helping drinks producers and brand owners get closer to the buyers, distributors, and retailers that can bring their products to market.
“It’s a perfect way to meet people in the industry and to discover what the main emerging trends are. It’s also great to see what’s not released yet.” There’s three reasons why top spirits buyers, and leading drinks figures like Oliver Eardley, bartender at the Savoy Hotel, want to take part in judging the London Spirits Competition.
The judging for the competition is broken down into three key areas: Quality; Value; and Packaging and design. A score is given by judges for each criteria which together creates the London Spirits Competition score on which the medal awarded is given.
The London Spirits Competition prides itself on having award winning buyers, bartenders and some of the most influential people working in the UK spirits industry. Individuals that are tasked every day in deciding which products and brands are going to go on back bars and on to drinks lists on some of the most influential venues and bars in the world.
Some new benefits that the 2024 entrants will get are:
Enhanced Feedback Features: Introducing two new feedback features. Alongside the professional tasting notes, entrants will now receive technical feedback from buyers on improving production processes . Additionally, market feedback from buyers will highlight the alignment of your product with its home country’s competition.
Promotion at UK Trade Shows:
The competition will be prominently featured in Beverage Trade Network’s new UK trade shows, namely the UK Trade Tasting 2024 and IBWSS UK
Enhanced Exposure for Winners:
Competition winners will benefit from enhanced visibility through Beverage Trade Network’s latest UK media assets, including Drinks Merchants, On Trade, and the London Drinks Guide.
Consumer Awareness Campaign:
In the coming years, LSC is planning an engaging consumer awareness campaign to promote London Competitions. We will feature Master Classes at our trade shows, the UK Trade Tasting and IBWSS UK featuring London Competition winners. The master classes will be led by the producer’s educators and London Competitions judges with the focus to educate end consumers about winning products. Massive video content will also be generated around products and judges recommending products to consumers.
Expanded Judging Panel:
As part of LSC’s commitment to continual improvement, we are delighted to announce that supermarket chain buyers and more off-trade buyers will be joining our esteemed 2024 Judging panel.
Key Dates:
Super Early Bird: Now to September 30, 2023
Warehouse Closes: March 4, 2024
Registration Ends: February 22, 2024
Judging Date: March 18 and 19, 2024
Winners Announced: April 10, 2024
The London Spirits Competition is now open for submissions. Register your spirits today to save BIG on super early bird pricing. Ship your samples later
Featured Bartender: Jason Lam, Boston
Featured Bartender: Jason Lam
Jason Lam, the Head Bartender at Zuma in Boston, recently won the 2023 Boston Bartender Battle, competing against contestants from top restaurants throughout the city.
His winning cocktail, the Thai ChiliVesper made with tequila and mezcal(see recipe below), was inspired by his personal drinking experiences at home, as well as witnessing the evolution of Boston cocktail trends.“I was never a huge fan of tequila or mezcal, and I rarely made a tequila cocktail that wasn’t a margarita,”Lam says. “But as tequila grew in popularity, and I grew as a bartender,I fully embraced the change and constantly looked for ways to innovate a spirit that was so attached to shots and margaritas.”Playing off of the spicy margarita trend, Lam’s idea for the Thai Chili Vesper was to create a spicy martini, with an Asian twist.
Having worked in several Asian-themed restaurants, he noticed that Asian inspired cocktails tend to lean more Japanese, so beingVietnamese, he wanted to incorporate some Southeast Asian elements.“The moment came to me when I saw some Thai chili peppers growing in my mother’s garden and I picked a bundle to experiment, resulting in a pretty spicy week for me. I felt like the chilies played perfectly with the cocktail and given that Boston has such a huge number of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, the flavor would be familiar toBostonians. The added touch of vanilla helps round out the spice,” he says.
Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 1989 Mortlach 31-Year-Old wins 2023 International Whisky Competition
Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 1989 Mortlach 31-Year-Old wins International Whisky Competition
The International Whisky Competition Committee announced that Gordon & MacPhail, one of the world’s leading independent whisky bottlers, has won Whisky of the Year at this year’s competition. The Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 31 Year Old from Mortlach Distillery, which was distilled in 1989, has been awarded the prestigious title of ‘Whisky of the Year’ at the 2023 International Whisky Competition, which was held this year in Bardstown, Kentucky.
New make spirit from Mortlach Distillery was filled into cask 4303 a refill sherry hogshead in 1989 and selected for bottling by Stuart Urquhart, Operations Director at Gordon & MacPhail 31 years later. This exquisite whisky, matured in hand-selected casks and finished in a refill Sherry Hogshead exhibits the true essence of the Mortlach character, and the savoir-faire of the Gordon & MacPhail’s expertise, offering a complex array of rich fruit, chocolate, and subtle spice flavours that culminate in a stunningly long and warming finish.
“We are incredibly proud to see our Connoisseurs Choice Mortlach 1989 (31 Year Old) recognised as the Whisky of the Year,” said Richard Urquhart, Head of Sales (Americas) at Gordon & MacPhail. “This accolade is a testament not only to the exceptional quality of the Mortlach spirit but also to our expert team in selecting the ideal cask and maturing it for just the right amount of time. Every bottle we produce is the result of a careful process followed since 1895, embracing innovative methods to push boundaries in whisky maturation.”
“We warmly congratulate the entire team at Gordon & MacPhail for creating such a complex, rich, and perfectly balanced whisky” said Sébastien Gavillet, Head of Tasting Panel.
Gordon MacPhail will receive the Golden Barrel Trophy for winning the Whisky of the Year during a ceremony to be held this fall in Elgin, Scotland.
For the full official results click here: www.whiskycompetition.com/2023-results