BARTENDER® 2024 Spring issue BARTENDER® 2024 Spring Edition features: The Price of Ice, Spring Sips, Top Trends, Bars & People to Watch, StarBack 2024, Featured Bartender: Orestes Cruz, Craft Spirits Report: Fort Hamilton Distillery, Featured Crémant de Bourgogne Brut, Featured RTS Brody’s, Signature Cocktails and more ..read more

Calling All Mixologists & Tastemakers 1800’s Most Awarded Ranch Water Competition 1800® Tequila has teamed up with BARTENDER Magazine to discover the country’s most talented mixologists and their innovative takes on the classic Ranch Water cocktail. Starting April 11, National Ranch Water Day, through May 11th. BAD BIRDY LA-Based Head Bartender IGNACIO “NACHO” JIMENEZ NYC Mixologist JAIME SALAS Head of Advocacy at Proximo Spirit GRAND PRIZE MOST AWARDED One-page spotlight in BARTENDER Magazine’s Summer Issue, featuring their winning Ranch Water cocktail with 1800® Tequila ..read more

THE ART OF ITALICUS APERITIVO CHALLENGE CROWNS WINNERS   The winners include Guchuan Yin, Dmytro Shovkopolias and Ayaka Yamamoto     The Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge announced the winners of their U.S. competition. Guchuan Yin from Double Chicken Please in Manhattan, New York won first place with his recipe, “Bergamot Nomad,”  while Dmytro Shovkopolias from Medium Cool in Miami, Florida and Ayaka Yamamoto from Bar Moga in Manhattan, New York won second and third place respectively. The challenge invites bartenders from around the w ..read more

Astral Tequila Introduces First-Ever MargaritaCon: A Nationwide Celebration of America’s Favorite Cocktail, All for a Cause Break out the limes because it’s time to celebrate America’s number one cocktail: the margarita1! In honor of Earth Month, Astral Tequila is thrilled to announce the first-ever MargaritaCon, a month-long celebration of the margarita for a cause. Starting today through May 5th, bars nationwide will feature a special Astral margarita on their menus, with each cocktail contributing towards building homes for those in need. Astral Tequila upcycles spent agave from tequila di ..read more

2024 Bartender Spirits Awards Final Call For Entry. Enter Your Spirits Before April 24.       The 2024 Bartender Spirits Awards is all set to happen in May in Chicago and this year brings America’s top bartenders as judges. This celebrated award helps spirits and distilleries be noticed and become a favorite choice for bars, restaurants, clubs, and on-premise establishments within the United States.   The awards are currently accepting entries for domestic spirits and the submission deadline for 2024 Bartender Spirits Awards is April 24. All brands need to enter before the ..read more

Featured Bartender: MICHELLE LABORDE Dancing Bear Lodge & Appalachian Bistro, Townsend, TN     Michelle LaBorde is Sommelier and Bar Director at Dancing Bear Lodge & Appalachian Bistro in Townsend, TN. Recently, Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro was named among the Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the US by Tripadvisor, in part due to Michelle’s incredible contributions to the beverage program. Located just beside the Smoky Mountain National Park, Michelle greets guests from all over the world looking to experience the beauty of the mountains. Dancing Bear w ..read more

DON JULIO STARBACK 2024   BARTENDER Magazine is grateful to be a part of the Starback 2024 Competition sponsored by Don Julio.  This was our second year being a part of the competition and it was huge success!   This year, we did eight total stops around the country where one winner would bartend Hollywood’s Biggest night with Global Bartending Champion, Charles Joly!  One finalist from New York, Chicago, Tampa, Phoenix, Columbus, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Austin would compete in the finals in NYC!   This year’s competition was not only bigger but also had new fun a ..read more

Featured Bartender; Bethany Alyssa Nardi Hawks Restaurant Granite Bay, California  Bethany’s maiden initials are BAR so it seems it was always meant to be. She started in the industry in 2006 as a server in a little family run Italian restaurant called Strings. She was working towards her fashion design degree at Sierra College in Rocklin, California. Bethany found passion in the fashion industry and quickly became the fashion club president at the age of 19.  She ran the club for two years where she designed future trends, ran modeling calls, fundraised, budgeted funds, and put on ..read more

Featured Bar: January 2024 Romeo’s East Village, NYC Romeo’s, a retro-style neon cocktail den located at 118 St Mark’s Place, is the newest addition to the East Village’s vibrant scene. Inspired by the iconic era of the 1990s and characters from well-known romance films, this lively establishment serves classic cocktails with a creative twist in frozen glassware.   As the new bar on the block, Romeo’s seeks to join the celebrated nightlife legacy of St Mark’s while setting itself apart with a meticulously crafted cocktail menu and hyper-specific design. Curated by Co-Owner and Beverage ..read more

Featured Bartender: Brian Barna PROOF Charleston, S.C. On King Street in Charleston, S.C., Brian Barna serves as the Bar Manager in a cocktail bar called Proof. With over a decade of experience, he mentors a small crew of bartenders and bar backs to create their own cocktails through inspirations from movies, music, and culinary recipes. What brings him to work everyday? The simple answer is love. A love of creating a nightly vibe through music, conversations, and wonderfully executed cocktails. A love of spirits from zero proof all the way up to high proof whiskey. Finally, a love of educati ..read more