Photo by Caitlyn Ridenour for Tales of the Cocktail
Audio By Carbonatix
The duo behind a Phoenix nonprofit that supports people in hospitality took home a top industry award on Thursday night. Another Round Another Rally cofounders Amanda Gunderson and Travis Nass were named Best U.S. Bar Mentors by the 20th annual Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in New Orleans.
The coveted awards recognize the very best of the national and international bar scene. The Spirited Awards cap the Tales of the Cocktail conference, where bartenders, bar owners, spirits brands and other cocktail industry professionals come together for a week of events, education and awards.
Another Round Another Rally offers financial and educational resources to people working in the hospitality industry who have traditionally been overlooked for advancement, including people of color, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Hospitality has an extraordinary way of changing lives. A single person who believes in you, shares their knowledge or opens a door at the right moment can completely shape the trajectory of your career,” Gunderson and Nass said in a written response to Phoenix New Times. “We know that because it’s what happened to us. Another Round Another Rally was inspired by the mentors who invested in us, and by a belief that every person in this industry deserves someone who sees their potential before they see it themselves.”
Provided by Skylight Hospitality
Gunderson and Nass launched the organization in 2018. It came out of a shared lament over the industry’s pitfalls, from lack of health insurance to wage gaps. Another Round Another Rally provides budding bartenders with professional development and mentorship programs. Among those, they’ll soon take bartenders on educational trips to Mexico City and Kentucky, and will bring a mentoring experience piloted in Phoenix for women, femme and nonbinary bartenders to Puerto Rico.
When the duo heard their names called at the awards, part of Gunderson’s excitement was to “point out how cute Travis looked in his rhinestoned jumpsuit that his wife hand-stoned for the event,” she said. Nass, meanwhile, was dreading making a speech, “but then my mic was cut so it all worked out,” he quipped.
This isn’t the first time the group has received a nod from the Spirited Awards. Another Round Another Rally received the Pioneer Award from the Spirited Awards in 2022 for its support for bartenders during the pandemic.
Gunderson and Nass weren’t the only Arizonans nominated. Libby Lingua, a co-owner of the Phoenix lounge Highball, was a finalist for U.S. Bartender of the Year. The award ultimately went to New York bartender Takuma Watanabe. See the full list of Spirited Awards winners here.
Another Round Another Rally was the first organization in Arizona to receive a coveted honor from Tales of the Cocktail. Since then, two Phoenix bars also bagged awards: Century Grand took the honor for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar in 2023. Two years later, Little Rituals nabbed the title of Best Hotel Bar in the U.S. Now, this Phoenix-based nonprofit has rallied again in New Orleans.
“This award belongs to every mentor who took the time to listen, to encourage and to make room for someone else at the table,” the pair wrote. “Thank you for proving that the greatest legacy we can leave in hospitality isn’t just a great drink or a successful bar, it’s the people we lift up along the way.”
