CLASS is delighted to announce the finalists of the CLASS Bar Awards, ahead of the 2025 ceremony at Battersea Arts Centre in London on May 21st.
Of the 21 awards in the CLASS Bar Awards, 15 categories are decided by a vote of 175 industry members across the country, with each voter chosen for their on-the-ground knowledge and expertise by our Regional Chairs.
Prominent drinks journalists and writers from around the country, the Regional Chairs for 2025 are: Ellen Manning, Chair for West; Dave Marsland, Chair for North; Natasha Corfield, Chair for Scotland; Hamish Smith, Chair for the South East; James March, Chair for Midlands; Ronan Collins for Northern Ireland.
Five of the awards (Bar Employer of the Year, Sustainable Practices Award, Front of House Star of the Year, Emerging Bartender of the Year and Bar Manager of the Year) are entered by written submission and are judged by the CLASS Bar Awards Regional Chairs and the CLASS Bar Awards hosts Declan McGurk and Anna Sebastian.
The Outstanding Contribution Award meanwhile is chosen by the Regional Chairs and hosts.
This year the CLASS Bar Awards sees the addition of an award for Best Bar in Northern Ireland, while our Social Media Presence of the Year category drops off the roster.
The finalists for 2025 are as follows:
Bar Awards
Bar Employer of the Year sponsored by The Lost Explorer Tequila
American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder
Blinker, Manchester
Couch, Birmingham
Kiki Lounge, Isle of Man
Sustainable Practices Award sponsored by Avallen
Below Stairs, Leeds
Kiki Lounge, Isle of Man
Pal Bar + Kitchen, Grimsby
Ugly Butterfly Bar, Cornwall
Cocktail of the Year sponsored by Bessou London
Porridge Colada, Nauticus, Edinburgh
Sazzaquack, Three Sheets Soho, London
Viennetta, Couch, Birmingham
W.I.N.E, Bar Glue, Liverpool
Drinks Menu of the Year sponsored by Franklin & Sons
Couch, Birmingham
Lyaness, Sea Containers, London
Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Speak in Code, Manchester
Food Menu of the Year
Kwãnt, London
Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Side Hustle, NoMad, London
Tayer + Elementary, London
Hotel Bar of the Year sponsored by The Lost Explorer Mezcal
American Bar, Gleneagles, Auchterarder
Connaught Bar, The Connaught, London
Lyaness, Sea Containers, London
Side Hustle, NoMad, London
New Bar of the Year sponsored by Takamaka
Archive & Myth, London
Bar Glue, Liverpool
Ego Death, Manchester
Three Sheets Soho, London
Best Bar in Scotland
Bramble, Edinburgh
Hey Palu, Edinburgh
Nauticus, Edinburgh
Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Best Bar in Northern Ireland
Berts Jazz Bar, The Merchant Hotel, Belfast
The Cocktail Bar, The Merchant Hotel, Belfast
The Garrick, Belfast
Rattlebag, Bullitt Hotel, Belfast
Best Bar in Wales
Dead Canary, Cardiff
Lab 22, Cardiff
Nightshade, Cardiff
Penny, Cardiff
Best Bar in the Midlands & East Anglia
Couch, Birmingham
Fox & Chance, Birmingham
Lucky 7, Birmingham
Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Best Bar in London & the South East
Dram, London
Lyaness, Sea Containers, London
Satan's Whiskers, London
Three Sheets Soho, London
Best Bar in the North
Bar Glue, Liverpool
Blinker, Manchester
Schofield's Bar, Manchester
Speak in Code, Manchester
Best Bar in the West
Filthy XIII, Bristol
Golden Crane, Bristol
Hideout, Bath
Milk Thistle, Bristol
Bar of the Year sponsored by Savoia
To be announced at the Class Bar Awards 2025. The winner will be the bar from the five regions that achieved most votes.
Individual Awards
Front of House Star of the Year
Andrea Gardiner, The American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder
Keila Urzaiz de Calignon, Satan's Whiskers, London
Kyriaki Dachtyloudi, The Spy Bar at Raffles London at The OWO, London
Liana Oster, Side Hustle, NoMad, London
Emerging Bartender of the Year sponsored by Monkey Shoulder
Chloe Yeung, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Grace Goggins, Project Halcyon Distillery
Keoghan Taylor, Kiki Lounge, Isle of Man
Rory Carrodus, Blinker, Manchester
Bar Manager of the Year sponsored by Italicus
Holly Law, The Cocktail Trading Co, London
Jacob Clarke, Couch, Birmingham
Michele Mariotti, The American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder
Nicky Craig, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Bartender of the Year sponsored by Funkin Cocktails
Courtney Francis, Couch, Birmingham
Elyse Von Ruin, The Gate, Glasgow
Katie Rouse, Couch, Birmingham
Nathan Price, Bar Glue, Liverpool
Bar Innovator(s) of the Year sponsored by Burnt Faith
Iain McPherson, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Monica Berg & Alex Kratena, Tayer & Elementary, London
Joe & Dan Schofield, Schofield's Bar, Manchester
Matt Arnold & Eve Green, Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Outstanding Contribution Award
Decided by the CLASS Bar Awards Regional Chairs and Hosts, this award will be announced at the CLASS Bar Awards 2025.
Awards finalists will be contacted today and will receive CBAs social media assets and invited to the ceremony. General registration for tickets will open on April 9th.