Uplifting Chocolate City's Best
Bartender Kapri Robinson’s mission to support and celebrate Black and brown bartenders from all over the country
Bartender Kapri Robinson of Chocolate City’s Best | Photos: Alexander Zeren
Bartender Kapri Robinson has been busy these past several years, both behind the bar and beyond. A rising personality in the Washington, D.C. industry, her talent and contributions have been recognized at the highest levels. She was named Liquor.com’s 2023 Bartender of the Year. In 2024, she took home the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for U.S. Bartender of the Year. Her current home bar, Allegory, was awarded Best Hotel Cocktail Bar in 2024 by Tales of the Cocktail, Best U.S. Bar Team for 2025, and secured a spot on the 50 Best North American Bar list for 2023, 2024, and 2025.
On top of these accolades, one of her most significant and recognizable roles is as co-founder of Chocolate City’s Best, a local nonprofit that she launched in 2018 alongside Bartender Michael Holiday Jr. The organization offers a doorway to exposure, community, and professional education among Black and brown bartenders around the world.
Robinson has worked as a bartender and cocktail creator for nearly a dozen years. She landed her first bar job at Founding Farmers Fishers & Bakers in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. Robinson then continued to make her mark in the city, moving to Dirty Habit and Reliable Tavern before settling in at her current post at Allegory, where she’s been stirring and shaking for about five years.
The seeds for Chocolate City’s Best were planted after Robinson was crowned D.C.’s “Cocktail Queen” by a local cocktail competition. She says that title opened up a number of career opportunities to her, including traveling to distilleries and becoming more integrated with her peers. Along the way, she noticed a lack of representation at cocktail competitions and industry events.
“Being introduced into these bigger spaces made me want to see more people like me in those spaces, so I created Chocolate City’s Best,” she says. “Here in D.C. a lot of bartenders are Black and brown folks. So it was surprising for me that we were not a part of these larger events and networks.”
In its first year, Chocolate City’s Best held a one-day cocktail competition. The inaugural victor, Bartender Denaya Jones-Reid, went on to become the organization’s Content Creator. Chocolate City’s Best has evolved since 2018 into an entire community dedicated to uplifting these voices.
Kapri Robinson’s Dream Team: Vodka, St. Germain, Cachaça, Mastika, Peach Liqueur, Verjus, Salted Grapefruit-Tomato Water, Soda Water, Peach-Cachaça Spray
Bartender Kapri RObinson’s Tequila, Green Chartreuse, Orange Liqueur, Lime Juice, Orange Bitters, Lime Cheek
When the pandemic necessitated a shift back in 2020, it was the push that Robinson and the team needed to start pivoting to an online forum, building out and creating new ways to connect.
“When 2020 came around we—as everyone else did—had to figure out how to work online. So we did lots of programs through social media,” she said.
Those included Instagram Live sessions and chats. There were panel discussions focused on equity. “Financial Fridays” talks about investing and saving money, and informational sessions on useful business tools. “Captured Cocktail” included hosting a photographer to explain how to effectively shoot cocktails.
After restarting the in-person competition in 2021, the cocktail competition took a hiatus. The group grew organically through a WhatsApp chat group that ballooned to 150 members in its first week. The current number is more than 400, with representation worldwide—not just in D.C. and the United States.
In March 2026, Robinson will host Chocolate City’s Best “Future Giants,” a weeklong competition and gathering in D.C. for bartenders from all across the U.S. Participants are paired with a mentor and guided through activities like local distillery visits, panels, seminars, and late-night happy hours.
“The goal of the competition is to give bartenders of color a platform to speak on changes they would like to see in the industry and offer tangible solutions to have those changes made,” Robinson says.
The grand prize package includes a residency at the Campari Academy in New York City, a signature private reserve whiskey blend partnership with Seelbach’s, a feature in Bartender Magazine, and a round-trip flight to the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail.
As far as next steps go, Robinson, Holiday Jr., and their team of supporters want to do more to bring Chocolate City’s Best to cities across the U.S., educating and supporting bartenders about ways to tap into their potential and better the industry as a whole—beyond just mixing a great drink.
“Bartenders, we have these really big, grand ideas but don’t really understand the organizational structure that needs to happen to [maintain] longevity. I think that’s been the biggest hurdle for me.” Robinson encourages her peers to be open to asking for help when you need it, and remember to have fun along the way.
“There’s always going to be someone who says ‘yes’, so continue to ask around for what you need and ask for help from people around you,” she says. “Someone can also find a way to connect you to who or what you need in this industry, and I think that’s what’s so awesome about what we do.”
