Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Awards

Clearly the world needs more awards, especially ones celebrating the cocktail, and Tales of the Cocktail has dutifully delivered. Without further ado, this year's winners of the Spirit Awards:

· World's Best Drinks Selection
WINNER - Merchant Hotel, Belfast
· Best American Cocktail Bar
WINNER - Pegu Club, NYC
· World's Best Cocktail Bar
WINNER - PDT, NYC
· World's Best New Cocktail Bar
WINNER - Clover Club, Brooklyn
· World's Best Hotel Bar
WINNER - Merchant Hotel, Belfast
· American Bartender of the Year
WINNER - James Meehan, PDT
· International Bartender of the Year
WINNER - Tony Conigliaro
· Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book
WINNER - The Essential Cocktail - Dale DeGroff
· Best Cocktail Writing
WINNER - Dave Wondrich
· Best New Product
WINNER - Bols Genever
· World's Best Cocktail Menu
WINNER - Merchant Hotel, Belfast
· Best American Brand Ambassador
WINNER - Simon Ford, Plymouth Gin and Pernod Ricard

If you ask us, some of these categories look redundant or strangely exclusive - shouldn't the world's best cocktail bar also be the best American bar by default? As for the place in Belfast, really Belfast? Guess we'll have to put it on a future travel itinerary.