A sweet win for Vancouver’s own Bitter Babe

Lauren Mote honoured with Spirited Award for mentorship at Tales of the Cocktail

Lauren Mote was named Best International Bar Mentor at 2022’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. Photo courtesy of Tales of the Cocktail.

To Vancouverites, Lauren Mote may be best known as the co-founder of Bittered Sling Bitters and, for a while at least, a vibrant presence behind some of the city’s best bars. But worldwide she is renowned for her work as a mentor, educator and driving force for a better, more inclusive cocktail world.

Now all her hard work and passion has been recognized by her peers at the annual Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. On July 28, at the 16th Annual Spirited Awards, Mote was named Best International Bar Mentor.

“To be nominated was an honour, but to win the damn thing is a dream!” Mote wrote on Facebook. “I’m still in shock—thank you everyone for the love and support, the flood of messages and good vibes. I’d love to say that I’m recovering from a night and early morning of celebrations, but I’m back at work this morning prepping a new education program with a great team.”

Mote, who has also served on the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s education committee for a decade, added: “The work never stops. The work is powerful. The result? Building an amazing community of likeminded people that care deeply about our industry.”

The Spirited Awards recognize the world’s top professionals, organizations and establishments. They are judged by a global panel of judges including the Canadian co-chairs Evelyn Chick and Sabrine Dhaliwal.

Among the other international winners were: International Bartender of the Year Remy Savage from 🔶🟥🔵 A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London, UK; Best International Brand Ambassador Martin Hudak of Mr Black Spirits; and Best International Bar Team MAYBE SAMMY in Sydney, Australia.

Proving that London is still the world’s best place for cocktailing, the Best International Cocktail Bar is that city’s Layēr + Elementary, Best International Hotel Bar is Lyaness at Sea Containers London, Best International Restaurant Bar is Sexy Fish and Best New International Cocktail Bar is 🔶🟥🔵 A Bar with Shapes for a Name. And the really big prize —World’s Best Bar—went to Lyaness at Sea Containers London.

Anyone who wants to visit those and some 900 other award-winning and nominated bars can turn to the new Spirited Awards® Directory, a resource that will be updated every year.

For a full list of Spirited Awards and more about Tales of the Cocktail, visit talesofthecocktail.org/.

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