🏆 Announcing the Top 15 Nominees for the 2025 Edinburgh Bar Awards

We are thrilled to reveal the Top 15 nominees in each category for this year’s Edinburgh Bar Awards. These finalists have been selected through peer recognition and public support, representing some of the most exciting talent, teams, and venues across Scotland’s vibrant hospitality scene.

🍸 Best Bar

Celebrating the most dynamic and beloved bar experiences across the country:
4042
Bittersweet
Bramble
Chancho
Dragonfly
Hey Palu
Lucky Liquor
Old Pal
Panda & Sons
The Bonnington
The Cocktail Geeks
The Powder Room
The Raging Bull
Uno Mas
The Volley Leith

🍺 Best Pub

These venues exemplify community, character, and consistency at the heart of pub culture:
Nauticus
Athletic Arms (Diggers)
The Bonnington
The Mother Superior
The Finch
The Hanging Bat
Teuchters (Landing & West End)
Kay’s Bar
Joker & The Thief
Malt & Hops
The Oxford Bar
The Golden Rule
St Vincent Bar
Bennets of Morningside
The Black Cat

🍷 Best Restaurant Bar

A celebration of the bars that enhance a meal with exceptional drinks and service:
Old Pal
Little Capo
Hawksmoor
The Devil’s Advocate
Lucky Yu
The Bonnington
Bonnie & Wild
The Alchemist
Voyage of Buck
Paradise Palms
Bittersweet
Leith Depot
Smith & Gertrude
Tipo
Copper Blossom

🤝 Best Bar Team

Recognising the teams delivering world-class hospitality night after night:
The Cocktail Geeks
Panda & Sons
Hey Palu
The Raging Bull
Nauticus
Old Pal
Lucky Liquor
The Powder Room
West Port Oracle
The Bonnington
The Mother Superior
Bramble
Nightcap
The Three Sisters
Voodoo Rooms

🌙 Best Late Night Venue

These nominees keep the spirit alive well after dark:
Uno Mas
Nightcap
NQ64
4042
Sneaky Pete’s
The Raging Bull
Stramash
Tonic
The Mother Superior
The Street
The Jazz Bar
Banshee Labyrinth
Paradise Palms
Liquid Rooms
The Voodoo Rooms

🌟 Unsung Hero

Celebrating those behind the scenes who make all the difference:
Kaelum-Ian Mullen (The Volley Leith)
Ben Leslie (The Raging Bull)
Cullen Hutchison
Mon Nelson (The Cocktail Geeks)
Jane Ross (The Mother Superior)
Cam Chittleborough (The Cocktail Geeks)
Dom Cummings (Athletic Arms)
Logan Pope (Lucky Liquor)
Sian Buchan (Uno Mas)
Fiona Hamilton (NQ64)
Adam Fraser Gray “Herman” (Panda & Sons)
Gavin Whyte (Cold Town House)
Anthony Crowther (The Last Word)
Kristaps Baranovs (The W Hotel)
Sam Baxendale (Bramble)

🌱 Rising Star

Spotlighting emerging talent shaping the future of Scottish hospitality:
Logan Pope (Lucky Liquor)
Walt Webster-Curran (Panda & Sons)
Saul Lavelle (The False Widow)
Emily Weston (The Cocktail Geeks)
Freja Kemp (Old Pal)
Noah French (NQ64)
Jack Smith (Gleneagles Townhouse)
Pierre Martin (Raging Bull)
Ketan Mackenzie (Raging Bull)
Cal Lister (Commons Club)
Cameron Finlay (Nightcap)
Flora Luckman (The Powder Room)
Levi Reed (Voodoo Rooms)

🥤 Best Shake

Honouring the bartenders behind the most technically impressive shakes:
Sam Milne (Panda)
Fowwaz Ansari (Bittersweet)
Saul Lavelle (The False Widow)
Kielan Davidson (Old Pal)
Toby Peters (The Cocktail Geeks)
Logan Pope (Lucky Liquor)
Pierre Martin (Raging Bull)
Alessia Impedovo (Panda & Sons)
Sam Baxendale (Bramble)
Ben Jones (Uno Mas)
Cameron Chittleborough (The Cocktail Geeks)
Jake Harris (Old Pal)
Connor Bleakley (NQ64)
Jay Braby (Badger & Co)
Stuart McBain (The Devil’s Advocate)

🍹 Best Cocktail

Celebrating creativity, balance, and innovation in the glass:
Porridge Colada – Nauticus
Indominous – The Cocktail Geeks
Yuzu Margarita – Hey Palu / Chancho
Spicy Peach Margarita – The Powder Room
The Perfect Pear – The Mother Superior
Coco Colada – The Raging Bull
Make Love Not Warcraft – The Cocktail Geeks
Paper Dragon – The Last Word
Sweet Manhattan – Indigo Yard
Feta Mezcal Negroni – Nightcap
Port Hayward – Lucky Liquor
Spring Fizz – Old Pal
Stinger – The Finch
Baltic Bru – Panda & Sons
Bramble – Bramble

📲 Social Star

Recognising the individuals using social platforms to connect, influence, and inspire:
Carrie Smith
Chloe Archibald-Ansari
Chloe Yeung
Ryan Sneddon
Tasha Corfield
Rachel Dixon
Ross Lawrie
Camille Le Courtois
Kaelum Mullen
Millie Harley
Lara Sinclair
Gracie Goggins
Ben Greig
Groundskeeper Fanny
Cal Lister

💼 Far Side of the Bar

Shining a spotlight on industry legends behind the brands, distributors, and agencies:
Ross Lawrie (Schweppes)
Ellie Raeside (Bacardi UK)
Adam Murphy (Mangrove)
Stevie Aitken (Base Spirits Collective)
Dan Bartley (Miscellaneous)
Ashton Williamson (Monin UK)
Connie Macdonald (Port of Leith)
Dana Crombie (Suntory)
Ruth Mason (Monkey Shoulder)
Kaitlin Wilkes
Ryan Snedden (Snedz Media)
Josh Knox (Sazerac UK)
Mike McGinty (Dewar’s)
Niamh Savage (Campari)
Damian Koval (Emporia Brands)

🕊️ Legend

This year’s Legend Award will be announced separately by our expert panel — recognising a lifetime of contribution to Scotland’s hospitality scene.

At Backs! Hospitality, we’re incredibly proud of the impact our awards have on the communities they celebrate. From the beginning, these awards have been about bringing the industry together to celebrate one another – in a way that feels more inclusive and accessible than traditional awards evenings.

What’s become clear, especially after speaking with past winners, is just how meaningful our peer voting system has become. While we originally chose this approach for its simplicity and transparency, it has since grown into something much more significant.
Being voted the best by the best – by your peers – has become a true badge of honour for those who take home the now-iconic Disco Pineapple.

That’s why this year, we’re making the biggest evolution to our awards since our very first Ball in January 2020.

After thoughtful, and spirited, debate about whether to change a system that clearly resonates, we’ve decided to make a slight but important shift. The changes outlined below are designed to elevate the role of peer voting and increase transparency, helping take the Bar Awards to the next level – while staying true to the spirit of what makes them special.

Round 1: Nominations

You Nominate!
Everyone is welcome to suggest nominees for any category. This keeps the process open and inclusive – we want to hear from YOU.

At the end of this round, nominations will be reviewed and compiled into a longlist of 15 nominees per category.

Nominations close at midnight on Sunday, 20th July.

Round 2: Voting – Finalists & Winners

Voting reopens on Monday, 28th July, and is open to both the public and a panel of past nominees.

Voters will select their favourites from the longlist. These votes will determine both the Top 5 Finalists and the Winners in each category.

• Public Vote (50%): Your vote counts for half of each nominee’s final score.
• Expert Vote (50%): The remaining half comes from a panel made up of last year’s Top 5 finalists in each category. These peers bring valuable insight and industry knowledge to the process.

Voting closes at midnight on Sunday, 31st August.

Finalists & Endorsements

Top 5 Finalists Announced – Monday, 8th September

Expert Endorsements
The expert panel will provide short endorsements for each finalist, highlighting their strengths and achievements. These will be published alongside the results to ensure transparency and provide valuable context.

Winners Announced

Monday, 22nd September at The Edinburgh Bartenders Ball

WINNERS & HIGHLY COMMENDED – EDINBURGH 2024

  BEST BAR 

THE RAGING BULL

HIGHLY COMMENDED – STAR BAR

  BEST PUB 

NAUTICUS

HIGHLY COMMENDED – POLWARTH TAVERN

  BEST RESTAURANT BAR 

OLD PAL

HIGHLY COMMENDED – HAWKSMOOR

 BEST BAR TEAM 

THE COCKTAIL GEEKS

HIGHLY COMMENDED – BRAMBLE

 BEST DRINK 

CRANACHAN – COMMONS CLUB

HIGHLY COMMENDED – COCONUT DAIQUIRI – PANDA & SONS

  UNSUNG HERO 

JANE ROSS – MOTHER SUPERIOR

HIGHLY COMMENDED – BEN LESLIE – THE RAGING BULL

  RISING STAR 

ALESSIA IMPEDOVO – PANDA & SONS

HIGHLY COMMENDED – ALEX MOORE – NAUTICUS

  BEST SHAKE 

FOWWAZ ANSARI – BITTERSWEET

SAM MILNE – PANDA & SONS

  FAR SIDE OF THE BAR 

ELLIE RAESIDE – BACARDI

DANIELA LIVERANI – SAZERAC UK

  LEGEND 

JOHANNA ELIZABETH COLE