This Global Spirits Competition Will Have Netflix-Starred Drink Masters As Judges

Inviting the best-qualified bartenders to make the decisions is what sets this prize apart. “We really wanted a way to recognize those spirits that would be a great addition to any bar and that are completely on-trend in terms of packaging and price,” says?Sid Patel, Founder, and CEO of organizers?Beverage Trade Network. “Whether bartenders are looking to plug a very specific gap in their existing spirits inventory, or construct an entirely new cocktail menu from scratch, what better advice could they get than from fellow bartenders?”

Kate Gerwin

The first female to win a world bartending championship, inducted into the?Tales of the Cocktail Foundation?Dames Hall of Fame 2015, honored as one of the world’s most influential persons in the Bar World 2019, Owner of Happy Accident Bar, Bar Rescue TV Show, and the list can go on!

You have to follow her on socials! Because she is always busy doing the coolest bartending tricks around and not to forget her enigmatic, bold feminine energy.

Raj Shukla

He is the local legend behind Fort Wayne. What sets him apart is his Indian American representation and his selection among the top 5 in the USBG?United States Bartenders' Guild?World Class bartender’s competition. He is currently a Managing Partner at 3Leaves, Raj is also into Custom Furniture Making which he has taken up as a career with?KDA FURNITURE AND INTERIORS, LLC?

A highlight in his bartending career was when he was hired by?PGA TOUR?in 2022 as a Bartender!

Loyd Von Rose

He says “A cocktail is like a blank canvas. I don’t see an empty glass as an empty glass, I see an infinity of possibilities to create something that would bring smiles to faces.” Currently working as a Beverage Director and Consultant in the Greater Montreal Metropolitan Area.

Christian Suzuki-Orellana?is a “Head Bird” at Wildhawk (The PlumpJack Group), San Francisco, where he plans to show off his rich Japanese heritage at the show!

The ICHI-G-ICHI-E - A Saga Of Suzu x Gin Old Fashioned (one of his signature cocktails). If in SF, you know what to add to your to-do list.

San Francisco-based, Christian “Suzu” Suzuki-Orellana, started off his bartending career with his grandparents who own a restaurant/bar business in Tokyo, Japan.

Being born into the hospitality industry, Suzu had his first stint at a Japanese nightclub before he moved back to the Bay Area when he was 21. Since then, the accomplished bartender has only looked up in life.

Alex Velez?is currently working as the Beverage Director at?Lost Spirits Distillery, LLC., Las Vegas. He has previously worked as a Bar Lead at?The Battery. Growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Alex Velez has been working in restaurants for more than two decades! Around this time, working behind the bar at some of Puerto Rico’s well-known establishments was when he also started competing and winning in Cocktail Competitions.

It was these years that laid the foundation for his success in the bartending scene, even after he moved to San Francisco in 2013.

We are super excited to have them all join this already amazing judging panel!

Check out all the top-notch judges here:?view all judges

Star Of The Bar?! Yes, our judges know which spirits are worthy of the Bartender Spirits Awards medal, which makes a spirits brand THE first-hand choice of people who are from the bar industry.?

The 5th Edition is happening this year and the industry awaits spirits brands that are recognized by our top-tier judges.

Enter your spirits brand now!?

NOTE: Spirits brands! The time is running out if you want to be a part of the competition, the international submission deadline is 24 March 2023.?