Alcademics

This year's Disaronno Mixing Star contest is less of a contest than usual, though there is still a casual challenge resulting in increased visibility/promotion for the entering bartenders, and one person from each of the nine countries will be invited to a to special event to present their cocktail to a wider audience.

Simon Difford of Diffordsguide in the UK is taking the lead on this, but as I'm helping to judge the San Francisco regionals, here is some more information fine-tuned for the US competitors. 

How is Works

In the US, there are five regions, each hosting a masterclass and mystery box challenge. In short, you submit your recipe online (along with a drink/bartender photo) by May 22, and if you're in the top 20 recipes for the region (making 100 for the US in total) you'll be invited to attend the masterclass.

Everyone who attends a masterclass will have their drink published in a digital book and promoted by Disaronno. 

They won't be flying people to masterclasses, so you might want to apply only if you're within drivable distance the regional heats.  The regionals are in the following cities:

• San Francisco
• Boston
• Miami
• Dallas
• Chicago

At each masterclass, in addition to the educational seminar, there will be a secret ingredient/mystery box challenge of some sort (they're still working on specifics but you don't need to prepare anything in advance). Five out of those 20 bartenders (so 25% of people) will be selected.

Those five people per masterclass (25 total in the US) then submit a could-be-new-or-could-be-the-same cocktail from one of the Five Great Bartending Styles, and Simon Difford will make each one in his London bar/home/tax write-off. He, along with some Disaronno brand folks, will choose 45 of these drinks to make it into a print book by Simon Difford. 

Then one person from each country will present their drink. 

Short Answer:

1. Send in a Disaronno drink by May 22 (minimum .5oz Disaronno; max 5 ingredients)
2. Wait to be invited to the masterclass, if so you'll be published in a digital book and
3. Make an improvised cocktail at the masterclass for the mystery box challenge
4. If in the top five out of 20 drinks from the mystery box challenge
5. Submit a drink for Simon Difford’s printed cocktail book (Using 1 of 5 cocktail styles allocated after mystery box challenge)
6. If you're in the top 45 drinks globally your drink will be published in a book (hard copy and digital), and 
7. If it's the best cocktail in the US, you'll be invited to present your drink to a wider audience on a global stage

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to facilitate or forward your questions to your local brand ambassador. 

I hope to see many of you in the San Francisco regionals!