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Calling all
bartenders, Diageo
Reserve World Class GB Bartender
Competition 2020 is now open for
entries but don't hang around as the
closing date for entries is the 9th
March.
Diageo Reserve’s much anticipated
bartender competition, World Class, is
now open for entries in the UK. This
year, organisers expect to receive the
highest number of entries yet from the
country’s bartending community following
a record attendance for the bartender
training UK-wide studios tour.
The annual competition, which is now in
its twelfth year, encourages bartenders
from across the UK to submit a digital
entry of one or two serves, to be in
with the chance of making it into the
top 100. These contestants will then be
shortlisted to 20 following an in-bar
judging stage. The UK’s top 20
bartenders will compete to be crowned GB
World Class Bartender of the Year 2020
at the GB final, which is taking place
in the New Forest in June. The overall
winner will represent GB in the World
Class Global Final hosted in Sydney,
Australia this autumn.
The two modules bartenders have been
asked to submit to are ‘Acid House’ and
‘Heritage Highballs’. The former is
designed to celebrate the whole citrus
fruit that forms an integral part of
Diageo’s premium gin brand, Tanqueray
No. TEN. Entrants will then be
challenged to replace the fresh citrus
with an alternative acid of their
choice. The ‘Heritage Highballs’ pays
tribute to the classic Johnnie Walker
Highball and challenges entrants to
produce their own highball serve using
Johnnie Walker Black Label and a range
of ingredients with an interesting
backstory.
To enter the competition, bartenders
will need to submit a cocktail to one or
both of the digital entry challenges by
midnight 9th March. Entrants must submit
recipes online at
www.TheWorldClassClub.com and share a
photo of the drink on social media using
#WorldClassGB2020 for a chance to make
it to the top 100. These entries will be
announced on 11th March and competitors
will be invited to share a Ketel One
‘One Square Mile’ serve online for the
in-bar judging process, where judges,
consisting of previous GB winners and
Diageo BAs, will travel the country to
taste-test all drinks entries.
TThe GB final will see the UK’s top 20
bartenders come together for the first
ever GB ‘Camp World Class’, taking place
at The Pig Hotel in Brockenhurst, New
Forest. Contestants will take part in a
series of challenges that will utilise
the natural resources of the surrounding
area and showcase the natural beauty of
the Great British Countryside.
This year’s World Class Bartender of the
Year will be awarded with an exclusive
prize package which includes the
opportunity to tour with the World Class
team hosting events and workshops, a
tour of a selection of Diageo-owned
distilleries covering the four corners
of Scotland, a budget for bar tools,
equipment and custom serve creation, a
guest bartending shift at one of
Europe’s best bars, as well as
nationwide exposure and dedicated PR
throughout the year. This year’s winner
will also be crowned with the coveted
title of GB World Class Bartender of the
Year 2020 and will represent GB in the
Diageo Reserve World Class Global Final
hosted in Sydney later this year.
Jack Sotti, World Class GB Brand
Ambassador at Diageo Reserve, comments:
“World Class has become a hotly
anticipated calendar date for bartenders
across the globe and it is fantastic to
have built such a strong community.
"This year’s GB competition has got off
to an explosive start with a
record-number of bartenders joining the
World Class journey on our UK-wide tour.
As we move into this new phase of the
competition, we can’t wait to see how
competitors will respond to the new
briefs we have devised. The national
final always serves as a great
opportunity to bring our industry
together and it will be a privilege to
see so much talent on display.
"GB representative Cameron Attfield came
in fourth at the Global Finals in 2019
and this year, we will be watching
closely to see if any of our bartenders
can go that one step further and bring
home the coveted title of World Class
Bartender of the Year 2020 – let’s watch
this space!"
In October 2019, Singapore’s Bannie Kang
swooped to victory to be crowned the
2019 World Class Bartender of the Year
in Glasgow and became the 11th member of
the World Class Hall of Fame.
Entries for Diageo Reserve GB World
Class Bartender of the Year 2020 are now
open and close on 9th March. To enter,
visit www.theworldclassclub.com
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