Beirut, 4 May, 2016 – The second burst of the prestigious Diageo World Class Competition took place on April 27 at Italian Project, restaurant and bar in Mar Mikhael. Lebanon’s best mixologists came together under the theme “Cuisine Meats Cocktails” to create drinks that best represent Diageo’s luxury Reserve Brands portfolio. The challenge this year was to integrate food elements in their creations, in order to put together exceptional cocktails.
“Foods have long been used in drinks,” explained Tim Etherington-Judge, Diageo Global Brand Ambassador for Bulleit. “The challenge today was to create the effects you want from adding flavors, such as meat, to a cocktail, without scaring people off.”
Etherington-Judge, along with Stephanie Jordan, Diageo Global Brand Ambassador for Tanqueray, made up the judges in charge of the delicate task to identify which contestants had the skills needed to move on to the third and final burst.
Three mixologists were selected to move on to the next round: Alain Al Ashkar from SUD, Wael Kossaifi from Villa Badaro and Harout Ghazarian from Karamel Group. They will now compete for a chance to earn the title of Lebanon World Class Champion 2016, before heading off to the global competition in Miami in September, where the Global World Class Champion 2016 will be selected.
“I had high expectations from Beirut, and the bartenders did a great job this year,” said Jordan. “All three winners demonstrated unique talents and the promise to make a difference in Miami later on this year, taking advantage of food trends to create their winning cocktails.”
The World Class competition is the bartending community’s most prestigious cocktail competition, with talents from around the world competing for the most important title of the industry.