Food & Dining

Georgia bartender wins big at national bartending competition

Darien resident Nic Wallace secured his spot at the top with two cocktail creations.
Georgia native Nic Wallace was named U.S. Bartender of the Year during the 2025 U.S. Bartenders' Guild's World Class bartending competition in Atlanta last night. (Courtesy of USBG Presents World Class Sponsored by Diageo)
Georgia native Nic Wallace was named U.S. Bartender of the Year during the 2025 U.S. Bartenders' Guild's World Class bartending competition in Atlanta last night. (Courtesy of USBG Presents World Class Sponsored by Diageo)
May 21, 2025

A Georgia bartender shook, stirred and strained his way to the top of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild’s World Class competition in Atlanta last night.

After three days of cocktail competition, Nic Wallace, a Darien resident who works as the resort bars and spirits manager for Sea Island Properties, won the title of U.S. Bartender of the Year for his “attention to detail and creative showmanship,” according to a news release.

The USBG hosted its nationwide conference and competition Sunday through Tuesday in Atlanta. Thirty bartenders from around the U.S. gathered at the Thompson Atlanta-Buckhead for a three-day, five-part competition designed to test their creativity, technical skills and knowledge.

Wallace was the only Georgia bartender to participate in the World Class competition. With the national win under his belt, he will compete against top bartenders from more than 50 countries at the Global Finals taking place Sept. 27-Oct. 2 in Toronto.

“Being the only Georgian to compete and bringing it home for Georgia was special, very special,” said Wallace in a phone interview Wednesday on his drive back to the coast.

Darien resident Nic Wallace won the title of 2025 U.S. Bartender of the Year. (Courtesy of Sea Island)
Darien resident Nic Wallace won the title of 2025 U.S. Bartender of the Year. (Courtesy of Sea Island)

Wallace has worked at Sea Island Resort for 12 years where he leads a team of more than 60 bartenders and beverage specialists across 13 outlets within the resort. This is his 10th time competing in the USBG event, which just completed its 13th year.

He said he approached this year’s competition differently than in years past, taking three weeks off work for intensive preparation. “I made time to focus on details, time for mentorship, time to commit to everything,” Wallace said. “I wasn’t going to give up until I got it,” he said of his decade-long pursuit of the title.

Wallace, 38, holds 20 years of bartending experience. He began soon after high school, but didn’t think of it as a career path until he started working at Sea Island where he ran the River Bar at the Cloister and realized “the scope of what luxury hospitality could be.”

During the first two days of the event, 30 competitors participated in three challenges that involved crafting a signature Bulleit bourbon cocktail paired with a Southern dish, creating two tequila cocktails using Don Julio 70 Cristalino and making six Diageo Reserve cocktails in an eight-minute speed round where contestants were judged on balance, efficiency, skill and hospitality.

The list of 30 was then narrowed down to the top 10 finalists, who competed in two additional challenges.

Georgia bartender Nic Wallace impressed judges with his original cocktail called Soul of the South. The drink was made with Bulleit bourbon, apple brandy, lemon juice, apple cider syrup and six dashes of Talisker 10-Year Scotch. (Courtesy of USBG Presents World Class Sponsored by Diageo)
Georgia bartender Nic Wallace impressed judges with his original cocktail called Soul of the South. The drink was made with Bulleit bourbon, apple brandy, lemon juice, apple cider syrup and six dashes of Talisker 10-Year Scotch. (Courtesy of USBG Presents World Class Sponsored by Diageo)

Wallace secured his spot at the top with two cocktail creations. Soul of the South consisted of Bulleit bourbon, apple brandy, lemon juice, apple cider syrup and six dashes of Talisker 10-Year Scotch. All Glowed Up featured Don Julio 70 Cristalino Tequila, mulled wine cordial, apricot liqueur, lemon juice, coconut syrup and a garnish of dehydrated apple slices.

Wallace beat out finalists from California, Seattle, Hawaii, New York, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Georgia native Nic Wallace took home the 2025 U.S. Bartender of the Year title. His Don Julio tequila cocktail All Glowed Up impressed the judges. (Courtesy of USBG Presents World Class Sponsored by Diageo)
Georgia native Nic Wallace took home the 2025 U.S. Bartender of the Year title. His Don Julio tequila cocktail All Glowed Up impressed the judges. (Courtesy of USBG Presents World Class Sponsored by Diageo)

Wallace said that he is excited to take back to the Georgia coast more than the national title. “I get to bring back new ideas, concepts, techniques, ingredients and philosophies to my team,” he said.

And he’s already thinking about the Global Finals in the fall, hoping to become the first U.S. bartender to bring the trophy back to the U.S. since renowned mixologist Charles Joly won in 2014.

The USBG is a nationwide nonprofit with chapters in nearly 50 cities, including Atlanta, that promotes professional development in the beverage industry. The USBG’s World Class event, sponsored by alcoholic beverage company Diageo, showcases bartending talent in the U.S. and highlights emerging trends in the industry.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include quotes from Nic Wallace.

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About the Authors

Olivia Wakim is a digital content producer on the food and dining team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.

Ligaya Figueras is the AJC's senior editor for Food & Dining. Prior to joining the AJC in 2015, she was the executive editor for St. Louis-based culinary magazine Sauce. She has worked in the publishing industry since 1999 and holds degrees from St. Louis University and the University of Michigan.

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