Mothers, lock up your daughters, Fathers, lock up your liquor cabinets

The distinguished guests for the Sydney Bar Show are looking pretty distinguished this year. The event kicks off on the 22nd of September, click on the big pink logo above if you want more details, and the list of special guests has been released: 

Attending Sydney BarShow for the first time this year is Bartender Magazine’s Special International Guest, Ann Tuennerman, founder of New Orleans’ annual cocktail celebration, Tales of the Cocktail. A love for well-crafted cocktails and the city of New Orleans is what drove Ann to start Tales of the Cocktail in 2003 and she continues to provide the vision for the annual events and works directly with mixologists, chefs, spirits companies and media outlets to bring Tales to life. Ann will be presenting an exclusive seminar entitled ‘The Tale of Tales of the Cocktail’.  I can't wait to meet Anne, my immediate life's ambition is to go to Tales... 

Another famed bartender making his way to Sydney from the US for the first time is the recently crowned American Bartender of the Year, Jim Meehan. Jim is a New York City based bar operator, consultant, writer and one of the most celebrated bartenders in the global industry. He is currently general manger at New York’s acclaimed speakeasy PDT (which was ranked third in last year’s Australian Bartender Magazine’s Annual World’s Top 20 Bars feature). Jim Meehan will be the Grand Master for The Craft mentoring program presented by Yakusan and Signé.

Ann and Jim will be joined by a cast of other bartending luminaries who will be presenting a series of sessions throughout the two days of BarShow. 

Speakers include: Julio Bermejo, the beverage manager and owner of the world’s best tequila bar, Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco and the Tequila Ambassador to USA; Tomas Estes, one of the most influential people in the Tequila industry, a Tequila ambassador for the Mexican government and the man behind the single estate Tequila Ocho; Simon Ford, bartender turned award-winning Brand Ambassador for Plymouth Gin; Ford has more than 16 years experience in the bar industry and has trained thousands of bar professionals; Philip Duff, the Irish-born multi-award winning bartender and contributor to Australian Bartender magazine is currently training at bars around the globe while looking after the operations of his very own bar, Door 74 in Amsterdam; John Gakuru, a leading London bartender and manager turned Global Brand Ambassador for Sagatiba Cachaça; Desmond Payne, the Master Distiller from Beefeater Gin; Jonathan Downey, a former international business lawyer turned bar owner, with venues in London, New York, Chamonix, Ibiza and Melbourne including Match EC1, Match Bar, Sosho, Trailer Happiness, The Player, Milk & Honey and many more; Jacob Briars, the 42 Below ‘Vodka Professor’ and the 7th most famous bartender in New Zealand and runner-up in the Marmite Master Mixology Test 2005. 

If this reads like a press release it's because it largely is. Regardless, it looks like a lip smackingly good time.