A Minneapolis bartender is nominated for an award at a world cocktail competition. Jessi Pollak is the bar manager at the North Loop French-inspired restaurant Spoon & Stable.
Pollak is one of only ten nominees in the U.S. in the 'Bartender of the Year' category at the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation 2023 Spirited Awards.
It is nomination based, it's not something I chose,” explained Pollak. “I was more surprised than anyone to be listed as a nominee this year.”
The ‘top four’ finalists will be announced on June 21 before the ultimate winners will be celebrated on July 27 at the 17th Annual Spirited Awards Ceremony, in New Orleans.
To be nominated for Bartender of the Year, they consider “innovation in drink creations, personability, hospitality and generous spirit, technical, practical skills and knowledge, plus national recognition of their work and personal recipes that have crossed borders and appeared on cocktail menus in other areas.”