What would Hollywood be without the Oscars? Journalism without the Pulitzer? Science without the Nobel Prize?
A well developed professional scene always has awards and accolades. It gives the ambitious something to hone their skills for. It gives everyone else a great reason to go out and have a few drinks.
So, we’re really glad that The Bar Awards is back, and even bigger than ever.
Awards for food are not a new thing, but accolades specifically for beverage in Singapore ware (and are) not exactly common- particularly those focused on the bar and nightlife industry. As one of the premiere cocktail venues in the world, we needed to strive to better ourselves all the time. We needed to recognise the good work done by the hardworking professionals behind and around the counter.
Then, the Bar Awards started four years ago, and has been growing in scope and scale ever since. This year, it’s even bigger and better than before- something we should all be glad for.
This year, the voting process has changed. An initial set of open Public nominations were carried out in April. A round of voting was then conducted, with an industry panel considering all nominees. The list was whittled down to ten finalists during the second round. A next round of voting was conducted was, distilling the list to a final four, which will be announced very soon.
The winners will then be announced during The Bar Awards’ Party on June 18.
We like the rigour of the voting process. There is a real attempt here to keep it fair and unbiased.
The Nominees
The part that you’re all waiting for: who’s actually nominated. In alphabetical order:
The Rising Star, presented by Perrier.
- Ashwin Raj (28 Hongkong Street)
- Bai Jia Wei (Employees Only Singapore)
- Benedict Poh (Employees Only Singapore)
- Brendon Khoo (Crackerjack)
- Jayden Ong (Sugarhall)
- Lee Pan Ying (Nutmeg & Clove)
- Reena Rivera Mahendran (Crackerjack)
- Rhyse Borland (Sugarhall)
- Ronan Keilthy (Crackerjack)
- Symphony Loo (Neon Pigeon)
Best Restaurant Bar, presented by Restaurant Pub & Bar Asia
- Bread Street Kitchen
- Burnt Ends
- Crackerjack
- FOC
- Humpback
- Neon Pigeon
- Sugarhall
- Tess Bar & Kitchen
- Tippling Club
- Vasco
Best Beer Experience, presented by Pilsner Urquell
- Alchemist Beer Lab
- Burger Joint
- Druggists
- Freehouse
- Ice Cold Beer
- Mikkeller Singapore
- Smith Street Taps
- Tap
- The Good Beer Company
- The World is Flat (Changi Airport)
Best Bar Food, presented by Monkey 47
- 28 Hongkong Street
- Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall
- Antidote
- Atlas
- Crackerjack
- Employees Only Singapore
- Manhattan
- Orihara Shoten
- Sugarhall
- Tess Bar & Kitchen
Best Wine Experience, presented by Huber’s Butchery
- Atlas
- Burnt Ends
- Cheek by Jowl
- La Terre
- Les Amis Restaurant
- Praelum Wine Bistro
- Restaurant Andre
- Wine Connection
- Wine on Tap
- Wine Rvlt
Most Creative Cocktail Bar, presented by Cointreau
- Atlas
- Crackerjack
- Gibson
- Manhattan
- Native
- Nutmeg & Clove
- Operation Dagger
- Smoke & Mirrors
- The Other Room
- Tippling Club
Best New Cocktail Bar, presented by Campari
- Atlas
- Crackerjack
- Employees Only Singapore
- Fat Prince
- Highball
- Native
- Skinny’s Lounge
- The Other Room
- The Wall
- The World is Flat (Changi Airport)
Best Hospitality Team, presented by Johnnie Walker
- 28 Hongkong Street
- Atlas
- Crackerjack
- Employees Only Singapore
- Jigger & Pony
- Manhattan
- Native
- Neon Pigeon
- Skinny’s Lounge
- Sugarhall
Bartender of the Year, presented by Bacardi
- Anthony Zhong (Shin Gi Tai)
- Bannie Kang (Antidote)
- Boo Jing Heng (Tess Bar & Kitchen)
- Davide Boncimino (The Other Room)
- Joe Schofield (Tippling Club)
- Peter Chua (Crackerjack)
- Steve Schneider (Employees Only Singapore)
- Vijay Mudaliar (Native)
- Yugnes Susela (Smoke & Mirrors)
- Zdenek Kastanek (28 Hongkong Street)
Best Cocktail Bar, presented by Stolichnaya Vodka
- 28 Hongkong Street
- Atlas
- Crackerjack
- Employees Only Singapore
- Gibson
- Jigger & Pony
- Manhattan
- Native
- Operation Dagger
- Tippling Club
Party Time
This year, The Bar Awards has also announced a long weekend of events from June 15 till The Bar Awards Party on Sunday June 18- and even a little beyond.
The full calendar of events is below, but we’re particularly hyped for the BBQ session at Camp Kilo and closing party. Be sure to check out the guest shifts by Chacha Singsuwan@ Tess Bar, and the Dim Sum and Cocktails session at Mitzo. It’s probably a good idea to start saving some liver room.
If you want a blow-by-blow update, be sure to follow the team at their Facebook page.
