The 11th edition of the Diageo World Class Competition is here: a platform with a strong brand
purpose making people care about what, where and how to drink.
Founded in 2009, Diageo’s World Class Competition has been influential in changing fine drinking
and the mixed drink culture far and wide. Presently, in more than 60 countries, it has upheld,
taught, and roused more than 250,000 bartenders through its educational program. The World
Class Bartender of the Year rivalry unites the very best of the bartending fraternity from around
the globe and puts them through rounds of rigorous competition to ultimately be crowned the
world’s number one bartender.
This year the competition will focus on 5 key brands that will bring the competition to life, namely
Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Talisker, Ketel One Vodka and Bulleit Bourbon.
The first leg of the competition began in March with Studios. This is where the Diageo Brand
Ambassadors took the opportunity to coach and upskill bartenders in various parts of South
Africa. This year’s studios comprised The Science of Smoke led by Johnnie Walker Black Label,
Tartan Tiki led by Talisker and Tech Tonics led by Tanqueray No 10.
Following Studios, competing bartenders submitted their first round of cocktail recipes using the
skills they had acquired. All in all 115 submissions were received, significantly more than the
previous year.
With 10 finalists from each region chosen, the regional finals got under way kicking off in Cape
Town on the 13th of May, making its way to Durban on the 15th of May and finally concluding in
Johannesburg on the 16th of May.
Regional Finals included two different challenges: Six in Five as well as the Your Bar or Mine
Challenge. (“Six in Five” was the challenge that got all the bartenders excited as it was a speed
round to create six original cocktails in only five minutes. “
Your Bar or Mine” was a challenge
based on the bartenders’ admiration for the bar that inspired their passion for bartending and
transported the judges to that bar through their cocktail creations). Regional Finals are the
qualifier for the National Finals which will take place in Johannesburg at the end of June. The Top
2 bartenders in each region and the four next best placed will make up the National Top 10
Finalists who will vie for the ultimate prize of competing at the Global Finals to be hosted in
Glasgow later this year.
The winner not only scores bragging rights, they are awarded the opportunity to travel the world
as a Diageo representative, judging cocktail competitions and serving drinks in locations across
the globe.
With finalists from all over the world, it will be exciting to see how the South African Winner will
fair this year and who will reign supreme in 2019.
No comments:
Post a Comment