Multi-hyphenate Beckaly Franks, the co-founder of Hong Kong bars The Pontiac, Call Me Al, Ponty Café and Artifact, has been named the winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2023. Bartender and serial hospitality entrepreneur Franks has been recognized for her significant impact on Asia’s bar sector over the course of her career. The Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award is the only peer-judged award in the Asia’s 50 Best Bars program, collectively voted for by the bartenders of those establishments which have placed on the 2023 list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
The Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award is the second of two special awards to be announced ahead of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony, sponsored by Perrier, which will take place in Hong Kong on 18 July 2023. Hosted in collaboration with destination partner Hong Kong Tourism Board, this year’s awards are expected to be the first full-scale gathering of the bar community in Asia since 2019.
Franks moved to Hong Kong in 2015 to open The Pontiac, a rock and roll craft cocktail bar inspired by the neighborhood watering holes of her hometown in Portland, Oregon. The Pontiac swiftly became a Hong Kong nightlife icon as a welcoming and progressive space that showcases serious cocktail credentials while spotlighting female bar talent. Franks and the team she built can be credited for The Pontiac’s multiple placements on Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists.
She has since opened several venues, each distinguished by its unique character, yet all unified in their commitment to inclusivity and delivering exceptional guest experiences. Her company Hungry Ghost (created in collaboration with her wife, Ezra Star) include the neighborhood restaurant-bar Call Me Al, an all-day cafe bar, Ponty Café and Artifact, a subterranean space that focuses on aged spirits and has a chef-driven counter dining journey.
Franks holds the distinction of being regarded as a mentor by numerous bar talents in Hong Kong, having dedicated several years to the training and advancement of bartenders within the region.
On winning the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award, Franks says: “Bartending is a privilege, not a right. I have been fortunate enough to be able to aggressively follow my heart and my passion for taking care of people in my own way, and I am grateful to be recognized for it with this award. Bartending has rightfully consumed the majority of my adult life and provided me with a world of opportunity that most wouldn’t dream of. It is a wild ride and I only hope to honor the relationship between the bar and the guest as much as it has honored me. It is not easy work; you have to love it. I have always loved tending bars and I always will.”
The eighth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will be unveiled on 18 July 2023 at an in-person awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The live countdown will also be streamed on The World’s 50 Best Bars Facebook and 50 Best Bars TV YouTube Channel.
