Claire Smith

Features

TALES OF THE COCKTAIL® ANNOUNCES TOP FOUR FINALISTS FOR THE 8TH ANNUAL SPIRITED AWARDS®

June 12, 2014

Coming to you from a webcam in an apartment in NYC Simon Ford and Jacob Briars initiated the inaugural broadcast of the top four finalists in each category of the 2014 Spirited Awards. As Ford notes, “Millions tune in for the Oscars, and we are going the same route for bars. There are more bartenders than actors [out there].”

And speaking of more…Briars explains, “This was the biggest and most comprehensive Tales Awards nominations pool ever.” With over 2,000 individual nominations and over 50 countries being represented with at least one nominee, the 135 judges were hard pressed to whittle it down to a list of four per category. Let’s see who we’ll be cheering on Saturday night at Tales during the Black and White themed 8th Annual Spirited Awards® show (although you know you’re all winners).

AMERICAN CATEGORIES:
American Bartender of the Year
• Jeff Bell (New York)
• Marcovaldo Dionysos (San Francisco)
• Bobby Heugel (Houston)
• Sean Kenyon (Denver)

Best American Brand Ambassador
• Brooke Arthur (House Spirits)
• Chris Patino (Pernod Ricard USA Portfolio)
• Neyah White (Suntory Japanese Whiskies)
• Angus Winchester (Tanqueray Gin)

Best American Cocktail Bar
• canon (Seattle)
• The Dead Rabbit (New York)
• Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)
• Williams & Graham (Denver)

Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar
• Employees Only (New York)
• Honeycut (Los Angeles)
• Polite Provisions (San Diego)
• Trick Dog (San Francisco)

Best American Restaurant Bar
• Clyde Common (Portland)
• Gramercy Tavern (New York)
• The NoMad (New York)
• nopa (San Francisco)

Best American Hotel Bar
• Clyde Common (Portland)
• The Hawthorne (Boston)
• Sable Kitchen & Bar (Chicago)
• The Spare Room (Los Angeles) Continue Reading…

Features
WHEREIN ALLISON DEDIANKO SEES THE WORLD THROUGH A BOTTLE OF BELVEDERE
December 24, 2010

Introducing Belvedere’s New Global Ambassador
By Julia Mix Barrington

Belvedere Vodka has a new star.

Allison Dedianko, formerly the bartender and bar manager at Madam Geneva at Double Crown on the Bowery, used all her skills and talents to create the winning cocktail for Belvedere’s “Bartender’s Dream Job” contest, beating out seven other hopeful mixologists.

The Silk Thai, Dedianko’s concoction of Belvedere vodka, Velvet Falernum, egg whites, and Thai basil leaves won her a one-year, $100,000 contract with Belvedere for a new gig educating bartenders around the world about the vodka brand. Says Dedianko,“I am very excited to be the new brand ambassador and look forward to traveling the world and working for a brand as prestigious as Belvedere Vodka.”

Belvedere Silk Thai

50 mL Belvedere Pure
20 mL Velvet Falernum
30 mL Lemon Juice
12 mL Tawny Port
10 mL Egg White
2 leaves of fresh Thai Basil

Shaken very hard and fine strained into a coupette

***And here’s Allison’s winning application video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGiNzBUy1kQ

Features
BELVEDERE’S GLOBAL BARTENDER – NOW HIRING
October 6, 2010

Belvedere Vodka Launches “A Bartender’s Dream Job” A Worldwide Search for Belvedere’s Global Ambassador

Can’t imagine a world without Belvedere? Love making vodka based cocktail and spreading the vodka gospel throughout the land? Have a keen sense of humor and a wickedly creative streak behind the bar? Want to see the world through the lens of every hot bar and nightclub that carries Belvedere (and those that should)? Then you need to apply for this job.

Win the coveted position of Global Brand Ambassador and you’ll be working alongside
Head of Spirit Creation and Mixology, Claire Smith, and traveling to educate the various Belvedere Vodka markets and bartenders worldwide on how to best enjoy Belvedere and create the most innovative and exciting cocktails.

“We are thrilled to extend such a tremendous opportunity to so many talented individuals, bartenders and mixologists around the world,” says Claire Smith, Head of Spirit Creation and Mixology for Belvedere Vodka. “It is our hope that the competition not only unites those with a keen understanding of super premium vodka, but also inspires a higher level of innovation and creativity in cocktail creation that our new Global Brand Ambassador will help to ‘fine tune’ for our plans and projects next year.”

Entry: Please submit a short video demonstrating your love of Belvedere Vodka on the designated Belvedere Dream Job Facebook page www.facebook.com/BelvedereDreamJob September 15-October 15.

Semi Final ‘Cocktail Challenge’: After the voting polls close on October 15, a selection of semi-finalists will be chose to participate in a series of Cocktail Challenges taking place in select major cities, including London and Sydney. During the cocktail challenge, contestants will compete to create ten classic cocktails in ten minutes and be judged by certain criteria.

Final Competition: On December 15, 2010, seven finalists from all over the world will appear in front of the celebrity judges’ panel and be presented with the final challenge. The winner of the one year contract will be announced!

Log onto www.facebook.com/BelvedereDreamJob for the latest updates surrounding the competition, to vote for your favorite contestants, and for the terms on submitting your own video for a chance to win “A Bartender’s Dream Job”.