Spirits
Good Spirits are made by distillers committed to their craft, making responsible choices at every step of the process. Spirits that meet the criteria for entry will be able to trace all of their ingredients, from base distillate to added ingredients, without the use of genetically modified crops and without artificial additives. The Good Food Awards seal will be given in the categories of Whiskey, Gin, Vodka, Agave-based, Sugarcane-based, Fruit distillates, and Liqueurs. View the full criteria for entry.
COMMITTEE Chair
Jennifer Colliau, the owner and operator of Small Hand Foods, is a Bay Area native and bartender of 12 years. She has garnered praise for both her Small Hand Foods creations and her unique bartending style.
Committee
Erik Adkins is the bar manager at the Slanted Door in San Francisco. He is also working as a bar consultant for Flora, a cocktail bar in a vintage deco building in downtown Oakland.
David Driscoll is the Northern California spirits buyer for K&L and has been with them for 4 years. Before getting into wine, David taught elementary school in San Francisco’s Chinatown while getting his masters degree in German.
Allison Hopelain is a co-owner and general manager of Camino, a restaurant in Oakland, CA. In addition to running her own small gardening business, Hopelain has worked at Quince, Bar Tartine and Zuni.
Eric Johnson is the bar-manager and co-owner of Bar Agricole. His 15 years of experience include such notable San Francisco bars as Delarosa, Heaven’s Dog, Beretta, and Bourbon and Branch.
Greg Lindgren is the co-owner of Rye, Rosewood, 15 Romolo, and Rye On the Road. He has been creating and operating bars for ten years. He is a member and supporter of the United States Bartenders Guild and in 2008 he curated the spirits pavilion at Slow Food Nation.
Jennifer Seidman is the owner of Acme Bar in Berkeley, CA.
Aaron Gregory Smith is the owner of 15 Romolo a bar in North Beach, San Francisco.
Thad Vogler is a Santa Cruz native who has been bartending for almost 20 years. He has worked in the industry in Paris, Ireland, Tokyo, Guatemala, Cuba, Belize and of course San Francisco where he worked on the opening team of seven restaurants and now operates Bar Agricole.
Spirits Judges include:
Erik Adkins, Bar Manager of Slanted Door
Scott Beattie, Bar Manager at Spoonbar and Author of Artisanal Cocktails
Konrad Bouffard, Owner of Round Rock Honey
Richard Brandenburg, Director of Culinary Strategy for Edens & Avant
Martin Cate, Owner of Smuggler’s Cove
Jennifer Colliau, Owner of Small Hand Foods
David Driscoll, Spirits Buyer for K&L Wines
Camper English, Spirits Writer for Alcademics Blog
Dennis Lapuyade, Manager of Trattoria Corso
Adam Rogers, Senior Editor of Wired Magazine
Adam Sah, Co-Owner of Buyer’s Best Friend
Jennifer Seidman, Owner of Acme Bar
Aaron Gregory Smith, Owner of 15 Romolo
Adrian Stratton, Head of Merchandising at Gilt Taste
Thad Vogler, Owner of Bar Agricole
