French with Vietnamese heritage, Jean Trinh, co-founder of Alquímico in Cartagena, Colombia, has been named the winner of Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2022. This prestigious award is voted for by the bartenders on this year’s list of The World’s 50 Best Bars, who were asked to name one peer who pushes the limits of what it means to be a great bartender.
The award goes to a personality who made a significant impact in the global bar sector over the voting period and recognized their commitment to the international community during that time. This is the second of two special awards to be announced ahead of the live awards ceremony on Tuesday 4th, October 2022, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022, sponsored by Perrier, marks the first time the illustrious event has been held outside London since its 2009 inception. The ceremony will once again unite the global bar community in recognition of the best bars in the world.
Mark Sansom, Content Director for The World’s 50 Best Bars, says: “We’re delighted to announce Jean Trinh as the winner of this year's Altos Bartenders’ Bartender. From his strikingly inventive approach to the art of cocktail making to his forward-thinking attitude towards sustainability and his unerring commitment to his team and his community, Jean’s spirit rings true to each of the key tenets of what makes a winner of the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award.”
Jean was born into hospitality, growing up in his parent's restaurants. In 2013, his journey led him to Cartagena de Indias and the indelible experience of Colombian hospitality, opening his first pop-up bar just six months later. Within three years, he established Alquímico in a stunning three-story mansion in the historic heart of the city.
Renowned for serving more than 850 guests daily, Alquímico offers three unique concepts – La Mansión, El Balcón, and Terraza – each with its own unique cocktail menu under one roof. Throughout the bar, Jean champions the diversity and produce of his adopted home, searching the country for new producers and craftspeople to allow him to put sustainability at the heart of every decision he makes.
In 2018, Alquímico invested in a 25-acre farm in rural Colombia to sustainably and organically grow the freshest produce for the high-volume cocktail program.
During the global pandemic, in the face of a complete shutdown, Jean led his team #FromTheBarToTheFarm, housing his bartenders and their families and collaborating with local small producers and farmers to learn and develop sustainable agricultural practices. In addition to selling their organic produce, they donated food baskets to the poor, built an apiary to reduce the bar’s reliance on sugar, reforested native trees, and created an educational space for the local farming community as well as colleagues within the industry that wished to learn more.
On winning the award, Jean says: “It is such an honor to be named Altos Bartenders’ Bartender by the amazing people of my industry. When the pandemic struck, we were forced to re-evaluate everything about how we lived and worked together, but I am so proud of the achievements of my team through this time. Together we have built a stronger community and a more sustainable Alquímico, which I hope will continue to inspire sustainable practices around the world. I am so thankful to receive this recognition from my peers after the rollercoaster we have all been on for the last few years, and I hope to welcome them all to Alquímico to share our drinks and our ideas in the years to come.”
The countdown of the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022, sponsored by Perrier, will also be broadcast live to a global audience who are not able to attend in person. Bars and cocktail lovers are invited to join through The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV channel on YouTube.
About The World’s 50 Best Bars
The World’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, provides a definitive list of the world’s best drinking venues, voted for by an Academy of over 650 experts worldwide. The World’s 50 Best Bars list has been published annually since 2009 and has become the most anticipated ranking for drinks professionals and cocktail aficionados across the world, with the awards the highlight of the bar industry calendar. The list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars was published in 2016, while the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars was launched in June 2022. William Reed, which owns the 50 Best brands, is entirely responsible for the organization of the awards, the voting system, and the respective lists.
About Altos
Altos is a super-premium Tequila crafted from 100% blue agave in the heart of Los Altos, more than 2,000 meters above sea level, in the western state of Jalisco, Mexico. Born from a collaboration between Altos Tequila’s Master Distiller, Jesús Hernández, and the internationally renowned UK mixologists Dré Masso and the late Henry Besant, Altos was made by bartenders for bartenders in 2009. The Altos range celebrates the authenticity of Mexico in a modern way, as such, each Tequila is crafted in part using the 500-year-old traditional Tahona method before being distilled in small copper pot stills.