Bark & Bitter Aromatic Bitters Awarded Best Cocktail Ingredient at World Alcohol Free Awards

ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO (May 15, 2024) – Today, the world’s largest alcohol-free drinks competition announced its Trophy winners for 2024, with Canadian non-alcoholic beverage producer Bark & Bitter receiving the award for ‘Best Cocktail Ingredient’ for the brand’s Honestly Aromatic Bitters. With just 13 drinks out of the initial 450 entrants picking up the coveted top awards, Bark & Bitters trophy represents the only North American brand included on this year’s shortlist.

“Aromatic bitters are one of the most classic of cocktail ingredients, and something I’ve used consistently throughout my career bartending, “ says Nick Nemeth, founder of Bark & Bitter, “and when we set out to develop a truly non-alcoholic alternative to the cocktail staple, it was so important to get the flavour right. I’m so pleased to see the brand stand out on such a large stage and massive competition.”

Launched only in November 2023, Bark & Bitter’s foray into the burgeoning non-alcoholic bitters category has proved an immediate success, with its lineup of classic Orange, Aromatic, and New-Orleans-style bitters picking up a slew of awards since the beginning of this year. At this year’s World Alcohol-Free Awards, additional Gold and Bronze Medals were awarded to Bark & Bitter’s Orange and New Orleans Bywater Bitters, respectively, joining the list of awards and recommendations received earlier in the year in the LA Spirits Awards and from the Beverage Testing Institute.

In its second year, the World Alcohol-Free Awards has established itself as the benchmark for all things alcohol-free, with this year’s competition attracting a record number of entries from 21 different countries. Thirty judges from Europe, North America and the UK came together over two days in London in early March to put the products through their paces in the world’s biggest-ever competitive tasting of alcohol-free drinks.

About Bark & Bitter

• Bark & Bitter is an independent, non-alcoholic beverage producer founded in 2021 by Nick Nemeth, and based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
• Bark & Bitter’s first product, Novara Aperitivo has received numerous awards and recognition worldwide, including Non-Alcoholic Spirit of the Year in 2022 and 2023 at the New Orleans Spirits Competition, and a prestigious Gold Medal and a score of 95 in the 2022 IWSC awards based in London, UK. In 2024, Novara was awarded a Platinum Medal and Best Non-Alcoholic Spirit Alternative of the Year at the LA Spirits Awards.
• A portion of sales from all Bark & Bitter products are donated to organizations focused on developing mental health and addictions initiatives for the hospitality industry, such as Not 9 to 5 based in Toronto, Ontario.