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MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018: Meet the Jury

Before you get acquainted with the nominees for the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018, meet the bar industry veterans sitting on this year’s jury. Cheers!

It’s August, and that means the nominees for the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018 are being determined as you read this. If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll know the schedule. The long list, featuring 10 nominees per category, will be revealed this month, before all those names are carefully whittled down to a short list of just five contenders for each award, which is published in September. Then, of course, the lucky winners are announced at the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS gala dinner on October 9th – the night before BCB begins.

MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018: Going Beyond the GSA

Once again, we’re looking for the best bars, bartenders, brand ambassadors, products, sales reps, and bar teams throughout Germany, Switzerland, and Austria (GSA). But that’s not all. Last year, we expanded the search to the whole of Europe, awarding four new prizes: European Mixologist of the Year, Best European Bar, Best New European Bar, and Best New European Spirit or Bar Product.

The European awards are back again this year to highlight the amazing talent which can be found in bars all over Europe. As MIXOLOGY publisher Helmut Adam says, “Europe is the birthplace of the bar and many of the most important bar products are manufactured here.” But how are the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS winners chosen? Who makes all those difficult decisions?

Say Hello to the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018 Jury

Luckily, we’re not alone in the tricky task of sorting out the winners and runners-up. For something as big as the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS, we need to assemble a team of experts for our jury. In fact, we’ve got two teams.

Judging the 12 categories centered on the GSA countries is a panel made up of nine bar industry heavyweights from across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. This year, the Swiss bar experts are none other than Thomas Huhn from Basel’s Les Trois Rois, and Wolfgang Bogner from Tales Bar, everyone’s favourite ‘cocktail living room’ in Zürich.

Meanwhile, from Vienna, we’ve got jury chairman Erich Wassicek from Halbestadt Bar, and Gerhard Kozbach-Tsai, who runs Tür7. The German judges are Arnd Henning Heißen, the man behind Fragrances and The Curtain Club, both at The Ritz-Carlton in Berlin. He’s joined by fellow Berliner and MIXOLOGY correspondent, Peter Eichhorn. And outside Berlin, there’s Kent Steinbach, from Mojito’s Fine Cocktailbar in Düsseldorf, Gabriel Daun, from Gekkos in Frankfurt, and German bar legend Torsten Spuhn, from Erfurt’s Modern Masters.

The MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018 European Jury

To get a Europe-wide perspective, we put together a diverse jury for the European MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS. First, we ask our advisory council of European industry insiders to nominate candidates for the awards. This year, more than 170 bartenders, managers, journalists, and brand ambassadors were able to share their thoughts with us.

After the votes are counted and the long list is created, the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018 jury can start deliberating. The European jury is the largest it has ever been this year, with 17 members from 17 different countries. Led by The Maestro himself, Salvatore Calabrese, here are the bar industry experts judging the MIXOLOGY BAR AWARDS 2018.

Salvatore Calabrese (Head of the Jury – United Kingdom)

Arnd Henning Heissen (Germany, Fragrances & The Curtain Club at The Ritz-Carlton)

Dimitar Kosev Dimitrov (Bulgaria, ByTheWay)

Erich Wassicek (Austria, Halbestadt)

Fernando Castellon (France, Castellon Consulting)

Juan Valls (Spain, Fibar & El Niño Perdido)

Kirsten Holm (Denmark, K-Bar)

Lubos Racz (Slovakia, Barkultur)

Martin Kraut (Czech Republic, Barlife Magazine & Prague Barshow)

Nélson Bernardes (Portugal, Drinks Diary)

Patrick Pistolesi (Italy, Caffé Propaganda)

Thanos Prunarus (Greece, Baba Au Rum & Fine Magazine)

Thomas Huhn (Switzerland, Les Trois Rois)

Timo Janse (The Netherlands, Perfect Serve Barshow & Door 74)

Tomek Roehr (Poland, Wieczorny & Bar Symposium)

Vincent Degroote (Belgium, Venuez Magazine & Show)

Vladimir Zhuravlev (Russia, Clabaratory)

Judging a bar award show may sound like the best job in the world, but choosing between the amazing people, places, and products in the European bar world is far from easy. We wish them all the best. Be sure to keep an eye on MIXOLOGY ONLINE for the announcement of the long list!

Credits

Foto: Photo via Katja Hiendlmayer.

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