The Drinks 100 Australia awards are open for nominations
Who are the 100 people shaping drinks culture in Australia in 2025?
Folks, it’s time to open the Drinks 100 Australia awards for nominations.
This is a new celebration of the 100 people who are shaping the drinks culture in Australia in 2025, presented by Bartenders’ Weekender and Boothby.
Unlike other lists, the Drinks 100 Australia is no popularity contest. Instead, it aims to be a considered look at those people who are working to make the drinks industry in Australia more meaningful, more exciting, and more creative every day. Regardless of one’s social media following or clout, we want to celebrate those people who do great work — the people who we can all look to for inspiration.
And here’s the important thing: this is about the wider Australian drinks industry, looked at from the perspective of the bar, which is still the best place to showcase the creative and delicious work of the distillers, operators, bartenders, communicators, designers, and ambassadors who make the Australian scene one of the world’s best.
We’ll be showcasing the full 100-strong list of people in the winter issue of Boothby magazine, with each person on the list invited to the inaugural Drinks 100 Australia awards gala on Tuesday 17 June in Brisbane on the last night of the Bartenders’ Weekender.
For now, it’s time to have your say — tell us who you think the Drinks 100 Australia should feature, and who you believe ought to win one of the 12 awards on offer. You can find the nomination form at the bottom of the page.
How the Drinks 100 Australia works
Tuesday 22 April: nominations are open now — simply visit the form at the bottom of the page, and cast your nominations in each category. Self-nominations are encouraged, and one nomination is all that is required to be considered in the next round. Multiple nominations for one candidate will have no impact on whether they are selected in the next round.
Monday 5 May: nominations close. Expert panels across the bar world, brand world, and creative and communication worlds will review the nominations and select those who make it onto the Drinks 100 this year.
Monday 19 May: invitations to the Drinks 100 Australia awards gala are sent out.
Monday 2 June: the full list of the Drinks 100 Australia will be published in the winter issue of Boothby magazine — you can sign up to get the next issue here.
Tuesday 17 June: the invitation-only Drinks 100 Australia awards gala takes place in Brisbane, where the winner of each major award is revealed.
The awards categories
RISING STAR PRESENTED BY STARWARD
The Australian drinks and bar industry is only as good as its next generation — the Rising Star award seeks to discover the ones to watch, those who’ll lead the industry into the future.
INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY PLANTERAY
This is for the ones who spark new ideas, create new ways of drinking, push our tastes in new and delicious directions, or improved ways of working.
MOST IMPACTFUL PRESENTED BY FOUR PILLARS
Who has been a force for good across the last 12 months? Who are these people in the drinks industry pushing for change, making waves, and leading the way to a better industry?
DRINKS CREATIVE OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY VANGUARD LUXURY BRANDS
This one is for cocktail technicians, the drinks designers, the creative leads — this is for those bartenders and drinks creatives who have opened our eyes to new delicious drinks with stories to tell.
HALL OF FAME PRESENTED BY PATRÓN
The drinks and bar industry hasn’t just sprung up overnight. This award recognises the people that have built a career making Australia a better place to drink, whether that’s through the bars or in your glass, those who have inspired us.
BAR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY RE’AL
This is for the person or group of individuals that have set the standard with great bars that please the public and critics alike, and who create spaces in which bartenders can do their best work.
AUSTRALIAN DISTILLER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY ALM
The homegrown distilling industry has exploded in recent years, with new waves of distillers coming in and crafting the future of Australian spirits. This recognises a distiller who has had an incredible year making quality spirit.
AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY BOOTHBY
Brand ambassadors are not just the bar industry’s introduction to a brand, but to the broader public as well. They’re on the road, spreading the gospel, and the best of them do this all the while supporting the industry to grow.
DRINKS COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
They’re an essential piece of the drinks industry — after all, once the drinks have been made, the spirits bottled, the bars built, we need to tell the world about them. This award celebrates those writers, social media creators, photographers and persuasive types who have best explained the drinks industry to the world at large.
BAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY GREY GOOSE
What you taste, what you feel, and what you see all depends on where you are. A great bar is designed well; this award celebrates those designs that say something new about the drinking occasion and take us to previously unexplored surrounds.
INTERNATIONAL DRINKS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY ESTRELLA
We work in a global industry, and this award seeks to recognise those people from across the seas whose work and talent have had a meaningful effect on the industry here in Australia.
PERSON OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY JACK DANIEL’S BONDED
This recognises those people who have stood up, who have led the way, who serve as an inspiration to the rest of us in the industry and who have been instrumental in making the country a better place to drink at over the course of the last year.
The Drinks 100 Australia awards takes place on the last night of Bartenders’ Weekender in Brisbane this June. There are 35 events planned already from the 15th to the 18th of June, with more to be announced, and two days of talks at the Better Bars Summit.
It’s going to be a big weekender of good times, parties, delicious drinks and expertise — we’ll see you there.
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