Prohibition Era Phoenix Hotspot Named ‘Best U.S. Cocktail Bar’
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A turn of the century-inspired tavern in Arizona has been named the “Best U.S. Cocktail Bar” for 2023. Phoenix’s Century Grand took home the prestigious honor at the 17th annual Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Spirited Awards. The event, held every year in New Orleans, recognizes top establishments, bartending professionals, brands and products based on their impact both on their local communities and on a global score.
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Century Grand, which opened in 2019, offers three different experiences: a main bar, which fuses together Art Deco and Prohibition-era influences; a Pullman Train car cocktail bar dubbed “Platform 18;” and a cozy 16-seat bar called the “Grey Hen,” inspired by Louisiana apothecaries, whiskey and nostalgia. Their win at the Spirited Awards was particularly notable, since Phoenix isn’t necessarily known as a “cocktail town,” compared to drinking cities like Chicago and New York.
SIPS, a self-described “drinkery house” and cocktail bar in Barcelona was named “Best International Cocktail Bar” for 2023. Known for their theatrical approach to cocktails, SIPS (photo below) is also currently ranked number three on the World’s 50 Best Bars List.
The Spirited Awards brought together an eclectic crowd that included everyone from mixologists and bar owners, to brand ambassadors and press. Other winners on the night included Hey Love at The Jupiter Hotel in Portland, which won “Best U.S. Hotel Bar” and Singapore’s Jigger & Pony, which was named “Best International Hotel Bar.”
The “Best U.S. Restaurant Bar” award went to Café La Trova in Miami, while Martiny’s in New York’s Gramercy neighborhood was named “Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar.” Double Chicken Please, which recently topped the World’s 50 Best list of North American bars, added a Spirited Award to their mantle, claiming the prize for “World’s Best Cocktail Menu.”
The award winners were chosen by a panel of more than 250 industry experts from across the world. Guests, meantime, included Julie Reiner, the host of Netflix’s Drink Masters; influencer Tiffanie Barriere, who was honored with the Tales Visionary Award; and a group of noted bar owners from around the world, from Aaron Thompson and Jessica King of Knoxville’s Brother Wolf, to Richie Barrow from Nairobi’s Tribe Hotel, and Margarita Sader, from Barcelona’s Paradiso, which was named the “World’s Best Bar” for 2022. A number of upstarts in the hospitality world were also present, including Brandon Hill, Master Distiller of Tokki Soju and Darryl Chan of NoHo Hospitality Group.
This year’s Tales of the Cocktail Foundation conference theme was “Vitalize,” and the organization says winners were those who “encapsulate the hospitality community’s vibrancy and adaptability, as well as its unmatched kinetic energy that brings so much life to our shared experience. The winners of this year’s Spirited Awards have made an indelible contribution to invigorating and elevating the collective cocktail community.”
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