Kumiko, the innovative dining bar serving up a taste of Japan in Chicago’s West Loop, was named World’s Best Bar at the 19th annual Spirited Awards in New Orleans. Cofounded in 2018 by acclaimed bartender Julia Momosé and local restaurateurs Cara and Noah Sandoval, Kumiko began garnering accolades for its minimalist food and drinks almost immediately, including a 2019 Michelin star for its original chef, Mariya Russell, the first Black woman to be awarded a Michelin star.

The 36-year-old Momosé, who was born and raised in Japan, was fascinated by Japanese rituals surrounding eating and drinking from an early age, and was inspired by watching her mother entertain at home. While attending Cornell University, she took jobs in restaurants and bars, eventually settling in Baltimore where she continued her hospitality education, most notably at Rye. From there, she moved to Chicago, where she became “bar chef” at The Aviary, the groundbreaking cocktail lounge founded by Grant Achatz.

After developing the bar menu at GreenRiver, the Chicago restaurant and bar that was a partnership between Danny’s Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group and The Dead Rabbit’s Jack McGarry, it was time for Momosé to create something of her own. A chance meeting with the Sandovals led the trio to open Kumiko in December 2018.

Inspired by Japanese minimalism—kumiko is a delicate style of woodworking that requires no nails or glue—Momosé developed the restaurant’s cocktail menu, including a selection of “spiritless” drinks. (She dislikes the word “mocktail.”) In 2022, Kumiko received the Exceptional Cocktails Award from Michelin.

Accepting the evening’s final award before a standing ovation at New Orleans’ Fillmore theater, Momosé spoke movingly of visting New York City in her twenties. “I remember trying to find home when I was there—and I found Angel’s Share,” she said, recalling the beloved Japanese-inspired East Village speakeasy, which helped her appreciate a sense of community and “people who were sharing a little bit of themselves through food and drink.” Momosé left the raucous crowd—which earlier saw appearances by Run the Jewels and Cheech and Chong, who handed our awards—with one last piece of advice: “Try to find the beauty in those quiet moments.”

Keeping up with the Japanese influence, the Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar went to Sip & Guzzle, the popular New York outpost of the renowned Tokyo bar created by Shingo Gokan, who was named International Bartender of Year at the Spirited Awards in 2017. Located in the West Village, Sip & Guzzle is renowned for its selection of Japanese beer, highballs and “crushable” cocktails.

San Francisco’s Trick Dog was honored as the Best U.S. Cocktail Bar, fulfilling its promise at the 2017 Spirited Awards, where it won for Best U.S. Cocktail menu. Also on the domestic front, Washington D.C.’s Allegory continued its winning ways. Last year’s Spirited Award winner for Best U.S. Hotel Bar and Bartender of the Year (for Kapri Johnson), Allegory, located at the Eaton Hotel, won for Best U.S. Bar Team.

The U.S. Bartender of the Year remained in the nation’s capital with Christine Kim of Service Bar taking home the honor. After a moving speech in which she assured the crowd that “you will find your way, your voice, your space, your people,” Kim distilled some universal wisdom: “Don’t be a dick.”

Among international honorees, Hong Kong’s Bar Leone, last year’s Best New International Cocktail Bar, avoided the sophomore jinx and was named Best International Bar. The Bar Leone team could likely offer some advice to Devil’s Cut in Madrid, which was honored as the Best New International Cocktail Bar. London’s Side Hustle was named Best International Hotel Bar this year and Milan’s Moebius Milano won Best International Restaurant Bar.

Mentorship has long been a vital part of the hospitality industry and the Spirited Awards honors two mentors each year. Iain McPherson, who founded Panda & Sons in Edinburgh, Scotland 12 years ago was named Best International Bar Mentor. Proof of McPherson’s mentorship was recognized earlier in the evening when Panda & Sons won for Best International Bar Team. The bar also took home an award for World’s Best Cocktail Menu.

The Best U.S. Bar Mentor was awarded to Colin Asare-Appiah, last year’s Tales Visionary Award winner and a 2016 Spirited Award winner for Best American Brand Ambassador. The author of Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology, Asare-Appiah has spent more than three decades in the industry and has helped train the next generation of bartenders in the United States and throughout Africa as part of the AJABU Cocktail and Spirits Festival.

This year’s Helen Davidson Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ian Burrell, who began his career as a London bartender in the 1990s and reinvented himself as a “global rum ambassador” some 20 years ago. The highly charismatic Burrell has represented many different rum brands over the years—including Equiano, which he cofounded in 2020—and is renowned in the industry for his self-described “edutainment” presentation style. In accepting his award, the 50-year-old Burrell, reminded the audience that he still has a lot of years left: “I hope to be the first person to win two lifetime achievement awards.”

The most inspiring moment of the ceremony came from Tales Visionary Award-winner Lynnette Marrero, a veteran New York bartender who was named Best Bar Mentor at the 2019 Spirited Awards. In addition to cofounding Speed Rack, an international bartending competition for women, Marrero is the mixologist behind Delola, Jennifer Lopez’ line of bottled cocktails. “The thing that gives me the most joy n my life is the opportunity to serve people,” she said. “It’s time for all of us to be teachers and leaders, to remember that if you’re some place, there’s always someone who needs to come with you—so grab their hand and walk them along.”

Finally, the Spirited Awards always raise a glass to some legendary watering holes. Madrid’s Bar Cock was presented with the Timeless International Award. Founded in 1921, Bar Cock may resemble an English club—founder Emilio Saracho and head bartender Perico Chicote traveled from Spain to London to locate authentic furniture—but it has become Madrid institution, catering to local artists, writers, politicians, and of course the city’s revelers.

And The Bar at Keens Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan was honored with the Timeless U.S. Award. Keens, which dates back to 1885, began its long life as a theater hangout, given its location in New York’s Herald Square. In addition to serving traditional English mutton chops, Keens is renowned for its extraordinary clay pipe collection. The 90,000 pipes once belonged to Keens regulars—from Babe Ruth and Teddy Roosevelt to J.P. Morgan and Albert Einstein. Like all great restaurant bars, Keens is worth arriving early for dinner to have a drink under the watchful eye of “Miss Keens,” the nude portrait hanging over the bar for many decades. In 2019, billionaire Tilman Fertita added Keens to his Landry’s hospitality empire, after purchasing the iconic steakhouse for $30 million.

See the full list of winners from the 2025 Spirited Awards.

Tales Of The Cocktail Spirited Awards 2025