Alcademics.com

Contest: The Auchentoshan Switch

I've just learned that I'll be helping judge the finals of The Auchentoshan Switch contest in Las Vegas this October. I am already jealous of the person who wins. 

We'll pick a winner out of 20(!) finalists in Vegas to fly to London for a two-week job at  69 Colebrooke Row, one of the world's best molecular mixology bars. A UK winner in London will also land a job at an American bar (not allowed to say which but I think it's in New York). 

I am trying to convince Auchentoshan that they need a journalist to 'switch' and report from 69 Colebrooke Row also but that might take some doing... 

The contest is open through August 31. Bartenders must make two drinks in a video for a chance to be flown to Vegas for the finals. The full contest announcement is below. (If you see a link, click it to keep reading.)

World Class Round-Up on DiffordsGuide.com

I was in New Delhi all last week working both on reporting on the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Finals here on my blog and helping Simon Difford and his (ass-kicking) crew write a special edition of the online magazine and produce the official book that will come out later. Still working on that, actually. 

Over at DiffordsGuide.com, take a look at the write-ups on:

• Short bios of all 32 World Class Competing Bartenders
• The "gurus" and their challenges: Gary Regan, Salvatore Calabrese, Peter Dorelli, Dale DeGroff, and Daniel Estramadoyro. Read here. 
• Quotes about the winner, Manabu Ohtake. 
• A few hundred drink recipes.
• The launch of the new Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle.
• And a highlight video. 

Plus there are a few thousand photos to look through in the galleries. Or click on the photo gallery link on the top of DiffordsGuide.com.

(Winner Manabu Ohtake of Japan. Image by DiffordsGuide)

Manabu Ohtake of Tower’s Bar Bellovisto in Japan wins Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year 2011

Last night was the announcement of the winners of the World Class competition in New Delhi, India. 

The winners of the challenges and regions are:

DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011: MANABU OHTAKE, THE TOWER’S BAR BELLOVISTO, JAPAN

REGIONAL WINNERS 2011: 

ASIA PACIFIC DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011: MANABU OHTAKE, THE TOWER’S BAR BELLOVISTO, JAPAN

LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011: JESUS CABRERA, MEXICO

EUROPEAN/MIDDLE EAST DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011: HEINZ KAISER, DINO’S AMERICAN BAR, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

 

CHALLENGE WINNERS 2011:

SPICE MARKET: MICKEY LEE, WOO BAR, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

ASIAN FOOD PAIRING: THORSTEN SPUHN, MODERN MASTERS BAR, ERFURT, GERMANY

COCKTAILS AGAINST THE CLOCK: HEINZ KAISER, DINO’S AMERICAN BAR, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

CLASSIC AND VINTAGE DRINKS WITH A TWIST: HEMANT PATHAK, BLUE BAR, DELHI, INDIA

COCKTAIL THEATRE AND THE STARS: ALBERTO PIZARRO, BOBBY GIN, BARCELONA, SPAIN

GENTLEMEN'S DRINKS AND FANCY TIPPLES: MARK HUANG, MARQUEE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE, TAIPEI, TAIWAN

More observations in later posts! 

Theatrical Tableside Service at the World Class Competition in India

Hello again from India, where I am wide awake far too early in the morning thanks to the 12.5 hour time difference between here and California. On the plus side, that gives me a spare second to share some info from the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Finals 2011.

I have been sitting in on one of the six challenges that the 32 bartenders are undertaking here at the competition: Cocktail Theater and the Stars.

There are two parts to it. They must present an original cocktail inspired by a woman and give it a dramatic presentation. Then they must give a unique tableside bottle serve presentation. Peter Dorelli, ex-head barman of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, is the judge of the competition. 

I have been really impressed with both the cocktails and the serves, but here we'll just look at the latter. 

Zacapa rum is poured through a piece of raw sugarcane and served with dark chocolate.

Here you are allowed to taste the raw material of the spirit: Zacapa's 'sugar cane honey.'

Here you create your own sipper with a choice of several homemade tinctures built around the flavors of Johnnie Walker Blue Label scotch.

A custom-designed stand for the glass with bullet-shaped atomizers filled with Blue Label-inspired mists.

This terrible photo shows one of the most creative and dramatic presentations of the day. Please goto Joerg Meyer's website to read about it. 

A simple serve of whisky is accompanied by tableside-smoked salmon and capers.

Those are a lot of creative ways to present a glass of liquor - and that's on the first two out of five challenge time slots - 9 out of 32 competitors! 

Still more to come from World Class in India... 

Running a Massive Cocktail Contest

Here at the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Finals in New Delhi, India there are 32 competing bartenders who must compete in six separate challenges.

I finally figured out just how they heck they're going to to it:

All of the five challenges happen at the same time in different rooms of the custom-built pavillion at the Imperial Hotel. Then there are several time slots during the week in which bartenders compete in one of the rooms. So basically the room stays the same, the judge of each competition stays the same, and the bartenders rotate through the various rooms at different times of the week.

So that is 6 challenges times 32 bartenders. These will be judged and an individual winner chosen per challenge. Then winners will be chosen for thee regions of the world, and from those three the winner will be crowned in just a few days.

The challenges are:

• Asian Spice Market Challenge  - farmer's market-style on-the-fly cocktail creation
• Asian Food Pairing - pair a drink with a meal offered
• Cocktails against the Clock - a timed drinkmaking competition
• Classic &Vintage Drinks with a Twist - twist on a classic and a classic
• Cocktail Theatre & Stars - make a drink inspired by a legendary woman
• Gentlemen’s Drinks & Fancy - create a new classic-style cocktail 

It's gonna be a heck of a busy week! 

The 32 Bartender Competitors in the Global World Class Finals

These are the 32 competing bartenders in the Diageo Global World Class Finals here in New Delhi, India. 

• Australia Tim Philips The Ivy's Level 6, Sydney 
• Austria   Heinz Kaiser Dino’s American Bar, Vienna
• Belgium   Oliver Jacobs Cafe Theatre 
• Brazil Talita Simões At Nine Cocktail Bar
• China Ryan Noreiks Alchemist Cocktail Kitchen
• Colombia   Jorge Andres Garzon Paez Bardot Bar (Bogota Colombia)
• Costa Rica Adrián GerardoCamacho Ruiz Costa Rica Marriot Hotel 
• Dominican Republic Patricia Toribio Agave Restaurant
• Dubai Jimmy Barrat De Cecco Zuma Dubai
• France Aymeric Tortereau Soda Bar
• Germany Torsten Spuhn Modern Masters in Erfurt
• Greece Nikos Bakoulis Picadilly bar, in Salonica
• India Hemant Kumar Pathak The Blue Bar
• Indonesia Zulkifli Moka A.K.A. Kiki Moka Loewy Bar & Restaurant
• Ireland Javier Bravo Long Island Bar Triumphs
• Italy Guglielmo Miriello Columbus Lounge Bar & Restaurant
• Japan Manabu Ohtake Tower’s Bar Bellovisto
• Korea Mingyu Lee (mickey) Woobar
• Lebanon Kaled Derouiche Momo's At The Souks, Solidere, Beirut
• Malaysia Chong Yi Shawn Hoofed
• Mexico Jesus Cabrera Fry Restaurant, Bar Time Lounge, The Lounge and pool bar. 
• Netherlands Rafael Reyes MoMo, Amsterdam
• Norway Therese Østervold Contra Bar Kjs 
• Puerto Rico Roberto Berdecía Piropo restaurant
• Singapore Akihiro Eguchi a.k.a. Aki, Orgo
• Spain Alberto Pizarro Bobby Gin
• Sweden Abdallah ”Boudy” Ghostine   Kungsholmen, Orangeriet
• Switzerland Henning Neufeld Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois
• Taiwan Mark Huang Marquee Restaurant & Lounge
• Thailand Vipop Jinaphan a.k.a. Tor Hyde & Seek Gastro Bar
• Trinidad & Tobago Stephon Scott Hyatt Regency in Trinidad
• UK Jamie MacDonald The Raconteur 

There is no American bartender. Who should I root for? 

Day One in India: Spice Market

I arrived in India early Saturday morning for the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Finals, which kicks off Sunday night.

Along with Simon Difford's team I visited a huge spice market. We took a cab as far as it would go, then jumped into tuk-tuks (one bike carrying two people) to take us as far as it would go into the market, and then walked on foot in the market itself. 

It was everything you imagine India to be - hot as hell, crowded, bustling, horns honking, smelling of spices, superfriendly people, visually assulting, absolutely amazing. 

Some pictures are below as well as on the Alcademics Facebook Page and on my Flickr account.

Alcademics in India

Hello from New Delhi, India!

I'm here to witness the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Final 2011 cocktail competition.

I am very excited, and a bit jetlagged with the 12.5 hour time difference.

Join me for the fun:

Global World Class Finals Facebook

World Class Live Twitter Feed and hashtag #worldclass

Alcademics on Facebook

Alcademics on Twitter

Other people tweeting/blogging about the event are:

• Joerg Meyer @joergmeyer
• Ian Burrell @rum_ambassador
• Miss Malini @MissMalini
• @Juniorwm

Who else is here for the fun? Besides the bartenders (I should get that list soon), the judges, distillers, and brand ambassadors include:

• Dale DeGroff   
• Salvatore Calabrese
• Daniel Estremaydoro
• Peter Dorelli    
• Gary Regan
• Ueno Hidetsugu
• Erik Lorincz
• Spike Marchant   
• Angus Winchester, Tanqueray No. Ten gin
• Bob Nolet, Ketel One vodka
• Enrique de Colsa and Brian Van Flandern, Don Julio tequila 
• Jean-Sébastien Robicquet, Cîroc vodka 
• Lorena Vásquez, Zacapa rum 
• Jonathan Driver, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky
• Tom Jones, Classic Malts Selection 

An all-star cast!

The fun kicks off tomorrow night. And now for a nap!