(image: Leah van Deventer)
Last night saw South Africa’s bar community celebrating their own at the annual Bartending Accolades and Recognition (BAR) Awards, held at the Westin Cape Town Hotel.
Organised by industry stalwarts Travis and Leigh Kuhn, the awards recognise exceptional achievements within the trade, from best bartender to best cocktail bar. Some 70 leading bartenders, bar owners, brand ambassadors and generally bar-savvy people were asked to vote (including Food24’s resident cocktail and spirits writer, Leah van Deventer).
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These were the winners:
Best Cocktail Bar: Sin+Tax in Joburg
Bartender of the Year: Julian Short (from Sin + Tax)
Trailblazer Award: Mootee Bar in Joburg
Best Hotel Cocktail Bar: Twankey
Social Media Award: AJ Snetler
Best Pop up Bar: The Polynesian Pearl Diver
Brand Ambassador of the Year: Marson Strydom
International Footprint Award: Julian Short (from Sin + Tax)
Best High Volume Bar: Orphanage in Cape Town
New Comer of the Year: Burdett Geiling
Bartenders Brand of Choice: Bulleit Bourbon
Best Brand Campaign: World Class
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