The Future of Drinking Is Here

Dear Pros,

It's probably about time we met — I'm Dylan Garret, editorial director for Food & Wine and Liquor.com, and resident recovering bartender. I'll let you in on a secret: Back when I was still working in bars, we mostly hated awards programs. After more than a decade in both high-end and hole-in-the-wall joints — mixing drinks, hauling buckets of ice, washing rubber mats, unclogging toilets, and all the glamorous work that comes with bar life — I'd roll my eyes every time awards season came around. It was the same popularity contests featuring the same places, year after year. Our staff would spend maybe five minutes talking about who made what list, then get back to the unfancy day-to-day business of running a bar, same as any other, not caring if anyone took the time to pat us on the head for it.

This is all to say, when F&W editor in chief Hunter Lewis came to me requesting that we look into launching a new accolade program that celebrates what's happening in the beverage industry, I wasn't exactly thrilled. After all, isn't that what our coverage does every day of the week? What's to gain from another media awards program?

So we set a few ground rules for Drinks Visionaries. First, we would focus on people, not businesses, who have gone above and beyond. Second, our nomination process wouldn't be led by public relations professionals, or media insiders, or even the editors of our magazine, but by those on the ground working in the industry.

The result, my early grumbling aside, is a program I'm honored to share with the world. We assembled a panel of more than 60 industry veterans, including leaders of some of the best bars, wineries, and spirits programs in America, as well as many of their less visible but equally essential colleagues, who nominated peers they passionately felt deserved to have their stories shared.

Drinks Visionaries is an ode to the people who aren't just making a living in the beverage business but are changing that business for the better. The 2025 honorees include a bartender born in Ghana, raised in the U.K., and residing in Brooklyn, who is working to unite the entire African continent through cocktails. An emergency room physician and scion of an Argentine wine dynasty who has done as much for maintaining the genetic diversity of South American grapevines as she has promoted a healthy approach to drinking.

There's a Guadalajara native who, in the 1980s, opened one of the most important Mexican restaurants in Philadelphia (one of my favorite quotes: "The first time I had chimichangas was in a restaurant in Philadelphia — I couldn't understand why a fried flour tortilla was the most important dish people were looking for.") and has used it to teach customers about the culture and heritage of agave spirits. A pair of bartenders who raised more than $3 million in COVID-19 relief funds and have since dedicated their organization to a wide range of legal, health, and educational support systems for hospitality workers.

Looking at the final feature as we launched it this week, in both our December / January issue and on foodandwine.com, I felt embarrassed by my original hesitance in doing Drinks Visionaries at all. These are exactly the stories I wanted to tell, 10 years ago, when switching from life behind the bar to one in publishing (well, that and a job that was easier on the knees). And if they inspire you to discover something new, you'll be in good company here.

See you all next time,
Dylan