The Cheers Benchmark Awards

The most coveted award for indepependent on-premise beverage operations.

Three independent restaurant and bar operators are lauded for their commitment to excellence and quality drinks.

With all the media attention lavished on bartenders and bar proprietors today, it’s no surprise that some attracting the spotlight are a little stronger on sizzle than they are on substance. The glamorization of the drinks business is good for the industry overall—there’s a greater appreciation of the drinks craft and more respect for those practicing it, not to mention greater sales—but with it comes bartenders and beverage pros vying to garner headlines with concoctions involving ultraobscure ingredients, large but ill-conceived wine menus and beer lists that describe the available brews in terms that rival the “wine snob” vernacular from days of yore.

In reviewing the 2010 Cheers Benchmark Awards, there were a handful of such sizzlers, but most also came with plenty of substance. Now in its third year, the Cheers Benchmark Awards (Beverage Excellence for Non-Chain Hospitality Establishments) were created to honor those independent establishments that are true destinations for drinks because they execute on the crucial elements of a really good bar: a purposeful and well-defined beverage selection that nods to tradition and also invites the guest to discover the “new,” an atmosphere that supports the drink program, a staff that delivers great drinks with style, a smile and a side of education as needed.

Cheers Benchmark Awards are presented in three categories: Best Wine Bar, Best Beer Bar and Best Cocktail Lounge. To qualify, entrants must be independent operators, defined as a concept operating in no more than five locations and independently owned or part of a hotel or a multi-concept restaurant company.

In reviewing the entries, the Cheers editors and a select group of wine, spirits and beer experts considered the overall concept, bar design, ambiance, level of service, beverage selection, beverage menu, specialty/signature beverages, merchandising, dedication to guest education and beverage enjoyment and staff server training of each entrant.