Best of Tales of the Cocktail

It has now been a month since "The Most Spirited Event of the Summer" (aka Tales of the Cocktail) took place in New Orleans but the chatter about it is still in the air and there's already a date set for next year (July 8-12 - my calendar's marked). One of the highlights of the event is the Spirit Awards.

This is like the Oscars of the cocktail community and answers the question "Who's the best?" The winners list is impressive and a who's who of mixology today. Congratulations have to be given to Dale DeGroff who won the Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award. Here are a few more of the best and you can find the full list and Robert Hess' commentary at TheSpiritWorld.net.

• Best Classic Cocktail Bar & World’s Best Cocktail Bar: Milk and Honey in New York City
• Mixologist of the Year: Nick Strangeway of Hawksmoor in London, England
• Best New Product: Fever Tree Mixers
• Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book: Imbibe! by David Wondrich