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 been named the recipient of 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 is 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 flavors, spirits, and cocktails, as well as her natural inclination toward
the art of hospitality, brought her back to bartending. Outside of the bars themselves, Boushel 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 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.
An innovator and true connoisseur of bartending, Boushel is responsible for co-crafting the cocktail
menus within Barroco Group, which includes the drinks programs for Atwater Cocktail Club, Barroco,
Foiegwa, Milky Way, Fugazzi, and Bon Délire. Under Boushel’s creative and innovative guidance, these
bars have continued to play a significant role in providing paces that support a healthier planet while
promoting and prioritizing local farmers and producers and developing budding talent within the region.
Boushel divides her time between advocacy and working with her teams to incorporate sustainability
into everything they do, from the ways they work to the products they use. Her hard work, determination, and commitment to hospitality make her a worthy winner of the industry’s most
prestigious peer-voted award.
Emma Sleight, Head of Content for North America’s 50 Best Bars, said, “Kate is an industry powerhouse
who has transformed and pioneered the cocktail scene in Montreal and throughout North America. A
supporter of bartenders, whether long-established or new to the trade, and an advocate for
sustainability, she is 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.”
Atwater Cocktail Club was recognized by North America’s 50 Best Bars in 2023 as No.32 on the list.
Known as one of the most charismatic cocktail bars in Montreal for its creatively curated selections, the
menu features elegant drinks made with high-quality ingredients and incorporating techniques such as
fermentations, emulsions and carbonation installations. Cocktails come to life with ingredients such as
repurposed egg whites, acid-rectified grape juice, and celery bitters. The full menu aims to keep guests
educated about their drink’s ingredients, alcohol percentages, and translations in both English and
French. Outside of its cocktails, Atwater Cocktail Club has an extensive selection of wines, beers, and
non-alcoholic drinks.
Kate Boushel says: “Receiving the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award is one of the greatest honors of my
career. 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.”
Carlos Andrés Ramírez, Global Advocacy & PR Manager of Altos Tequila, says: “We love that this year´s
North America’s 50 Best Bars Altos Bartenders’ Bartender is Kate Boushel from Atwater Cocktail Club in Canada. This is a very well-deserved award to someone from a country that every year demonstrates its
relevance in the industry and has more and more bars scaling up. From Altos Tequila and Altos Tahona
Society, huge applause to Kate and all the staff around her. Salud!”
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.
The countdown of the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars and the awards ceremony will also be
broadcast to a global audience who are not able to attend in person, and bar and cocktail lovers will be
invited to join through The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV YouTube channel.