Bitter & Twisted Is Nominated For The 'Oscars' Of Bartending

First bar in Arizona history to be nominated for the prestigious 'Tales of the Cocktail's Spirited Awards®'

(Press Release) Phoenix's most awarded cocktail bar, Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour (B&T) is proud to announce it's been nominated for the 'Oscars' of the bartending world, the Tales of the Cocktail 10th Annual Spirited Awards®. As the first-ever bar in Arizona to be recognized, Bitter & Twisted was named one of 10 finalists for the Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar, alongside nationally renowned bars such as Herbs & Rye in Las Vegas and NYC's Flatiron Lounge and the Pegu Club. Created in 2007 to recognize this year's best bars, bartenders, writers and experts in the hard working service industry, B&T and its fellow nominees were chosen following a rigorous evaluation of more than 1500 unique nominees.

"At Bitter & Twisted, our goal has always been to create a world-class cocktail bar and in the heart of historic downtown Phoenix, to prove that our cocktail culture can measure up to any other city in the world," says B&T head barman & proprietor, Ross Simon. "So we are incredibly honored to receive this prestigious nomination, and on behalf of my hard-working staff I want to thank the judges and Tales of The Cocktail for including us in the 10th Annual Spirited Awards. And most importantly, our guests that support us, and help keep the lights on and the doors open in the first place...."

Based in New Orleans, Tales of the Cocktail's Spirited Awards nominations were determined by both American and International committees comprised of the most respected minds in the cocktail industry, which selected the top 10 nominees for the 24 award categories. Each nominee was reviewed in detail to ensure it met the criteria and then presented by ballot to the committee judges. The 110 esteemed judges' votes yielded this year's top 10 nominees.

Tales of the Cocktail 10th Annual Spirited Awards®
Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar

Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour (Phoenix)
The Esquire Tavern (San Antonio)
Flatiron Lounge (New York City)
Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles)
Herbs & Rye (Las Vegas)
Honeycut (Los Angeles) 
Melrose Umbrella Co. (Los Angeles)
No. 308 (Nashville)
Pegu Club (New York City)
Polite Provisions (San Diego)

"These nominees are just a snapshot of the talent and creativity that is in our industry today. In order to truly capture what is going on in the global cocktail movement, our short lists would need to be doubled," says Simon Ford, Spirited Awards Chairman and host. "These awards recognize the people and places that captured the imagination of the 110 judges, but please also remember these awards are celebrating the industry we all love and the resurgence of the cocktail movement."

The 25 Spirited Awards® recipients will be announced at the Spirited Awards at the Sheraton New Orleans on Saturday, July 23, 2016 as a part of the 14th Annual Tales of the Cocktail. "Making the Spirited Awards top ten is no small feat. We receive hundreds of nominations in each category so everyone on this list should be proud of this hard-earned accomplishment," says Ann Tuennerman, Founder of Tales of the Cocktail. "With the quality of bars, bartenders, ambassadors, distillers and writers we have in our industry, it was not an easy task for our judges. I want to thank them for lending their time and expertise in narrowing down to our top tens."

On Monday, June 20, 2016 at noon (Pacific Time), Simon Ford, Spirited Awards Chairman will announce the final four finalists for each category from Los Angeles via Facebook Live on the Tales of the Cocktail Facebook Page. Each finalist will be invited to attend the live ceremony in New Orleans. Each award recipient will receive an exclusive Riedel Crystal Trophy.

This year, the Spirited Awards will feature a live stream the night of the event. The 2016 Spirited Awards hosts include Simon Ford and Aisha Tyler, actor, comedian, author, activist, director, and co-host of the CBS show The Talk.

The sponsors of the 10th Annual Spirited Awards® include Bacardi USA, BarSmart, Beam Suntory, Champagne Nicholas Feuillatte, Chivas, El Dorado Rum, Fords Gin, Gazela Vinho Verde, Goose Island, House of Angostura, Luxardo, Nikka Whiskey, Parlor Lounge, Pernod Absinthe, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Ramazzotti, Rutte, The Cromwell, United States Bartenders Guild and William Grant & Sons.  

For more information on past winners and Tales of the Cocktail, visit the website at www.TalesoftheCocktail.com or call 504-948-0511. 

About Tales of the Cocktail® Founded in 2002, Tales of the Cocktail® has grown from a small gathering of cocktail lovers into the world's premier cocktail festival. Each year the international spirits industry is welcomed to New Orleans for a week of seminars, tastings, networking events and much more. With 200+ annual events developed specifically for bartenders, distillers and other spirits professionals, Tales of the Cocktail® is the industry's annual meeting place for exchange of new ideas, products and techniques. For more information on past winners and Tales of the Cocktail®, visit the website at TalesoftheCocktail.com or call 504-948-0511.

 Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour
 1 W. Jefferson St. (Jefferson & Central) 
 Phoenix 85003
 602-340-1924
 www.bitterandtwistedaz.com