MONTREAL — Kate Boushel, director of Beverage and Education for the Barroco Group and bartender at Montreal’s Atwater Cocktail Club and Milky Way Cocktail Bar, has won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2024. Boushel is one of the leading forces behind Barroco Group’s innovative bar concepts and has been recognized for her legendary teamwork behind the bar as well as her impactful mentorship, involvement in community initiatives and career consulting — particularly for other women in the beverage industry. She’s the first Canadian recipient of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.
After leaving the restaurant-and-bar industry for a career in government and public relations for nearly a decade, Boushel’s passion for local flavours, spirits, and cocktails, as well as her natural inclination toward the art of hospitality, brought her back to bartending. She has competed on a global and national scale in industry competitions such as the Marie Brizard Masters, Diageo World Class, Bombay’s Most Imaginative Bartender and Speed Rack.
Boushel also represents the Barroco Group in bar events, pop-ups, and panels that discuss shifts in the global bar sector. She continues to bring awareness to the Canadian bartending community as an advocate for diversity, as a resource for bartenders at all levels, and as a support to fellow bartenders through a variety of programs within the industry.
“Kate is an industry powerhouse who has transformed and pioneered the cocktail scene in Montreal and throughout North America,” says Emma Sleight, head of Content for North America’s 50 Best Bars. “A supporter of bartenders, whether long-established or new to the trade, and an advocate for sustainability, she’s a thoughtful and dedicated promoter of local producers and a mentor to all who have worked with her. In Kate’s time at Atwater Cocktail Club, she has created cocktails that take Canada’s mixology roots and blend them with her own take on classic drinks, keeping quality ingredients at the heart of everything she and her team do. She has also dedicated time outside of Barroco Group to mentor women in the industry and play an active role in a variety of community-focused initiatives. Together, we congratulate Kate on being awarded the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.”
“Receiving the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award is one of the greatest honours of my career,” says Boushel. “I see it as an emblem of the global hospitality community and our industry’s way of recognizing fellow professionals who go above and beyond to embody this spirit that unites bartenders across the world. It goes without saying that this milestone is a testament to the unwavering support of our partners at the Barroco Group, my network and the friendships I’ve fostered throughout my career. As I reflect on this moment, I feel seen, filled with gratitude and proud for what this represents to our Montreal and Canadian bar community.”
The Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award is second in a series of special pre-announced awards for North America’s 50 Best Bars 2024, which will take place in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. For the second year in a row, San Miguel de Allende will host the live awards representing North America’s drinks and bar industry coming together to announce the most prestigious list of expert-voted drinking destinations across all of North America.
