Five Phoenix Bars & Restaurants Nominated For International Awards

Bitter & Twisted, Little Rituals, Across The Pond and more nominated for the prestigious 2022 ‘Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards®’

(MMPR PRESS RELEASE) – Five of Arizona’s top bars have been nominated for the bartending world’s most prestigious annual awards, as Bitter & Twisted, Little Rituals and Across The Pond have all been named Top 10 regional honorees for the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s 2022 Spirited Awards®. These establishments join Century Grand and High Ball as the only nominees from Arizona for this year’s awards, considered the James Beard or Michelin guide of the bar and hospitality industry, and recognizing the best bars, bartenders, writers and more.

Arizona’s most awarded lounge, Bitter & Twisted was named a Top 10 regional honoree for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar in the West region, and has been previously nominated 8 times to the Tales of the Cocktail U.S. Top 10 lists.

Little Rituals was named a Top 10 regional honoree for Best U.S. Hotel Bar in the West region, and has been recognized regionally twice before.

This is the first-ever Tales of the Cocktail nomination for Across The Pond, named a Top 10 regional honoree for Best U.S. Restaurant Bar in the West region.

“Bitter & Twisted, and Little Rituals, were founded on the belief of growing Arizona and Phoenix’s cocktail and hospitality scene into a world-class experience since day one,” says B&T owner, Ross Simon, who also co-founded Little Rituals with Aaron DeFeo. “We’re dedicated to creating welcoming spaces where people can gather with friends and enjoy top-flight cocktails thoughtfully crafted with the finest ingredients, and we’re both proud to be recognized for helping to raise the bar here in Arizona.”

“Our goal at Across The Pond has always been pairing artfully-prepared sushi with premium cocktails to create an extraordinary dining experience here in Phoenix,” says co-owner and head barman, Joshua James. “We are incredibly honored, and proud, to receive this prestigious nomination, and on behalf of my partner, Nicholas Campisano, and hard-working staff, I want to thank the judges and Tales of the Cocktail for including us in the 16th annual Spirited Awards.”

Overall Top 10 Nominees will be announced on June 2, 2022, Top 4 Finalists will be named on June 21, 2022, and Winners will be celebrated on July 28, 2022.

More about the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s 16th annual Spirited Awards: Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is pleased to announce the regional top 10 honorees for the 16th annual Spirited Awards in an effort to recognize the depth of talent across our global spirits community. Since its founding in 2007, the Spirited Awards have become one of the industry’s most sought-after awards, recognizing beverage professionals, products, and establishments across every facet of the spirits and cocktail community on a global scale. In partnership with Forbes, the Spirited Awards official media partner, TOTCF will honor recipients during the Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) conference, which is returning for an in-person celebration in New Orleans from July 25-29, 2022.

This year, an exceptional number of Spirited Awards submissions were received across all categories, a testament to the hospitality industry’s continued participation in recognizing the hard work and achievements of our colleagues in the industry – even despite unprecedented hardships. In that spirit, the Foundation is proud to announce the Regional Top 10 honorees, broken into regions in the Asia Pacific (APAC), Canada, Europe, Latin America & Caribbean (LATAM&C), Middle East & Africa (MEA), U.S. Central, U.S. East, and U.S. West.