Diageo's World Class bartender finals in Athens, Greece, are finished, and the winner has been crowned - Erik Lorincz of London's Connaught Bar, pictured here courtesy of Diageo. (U.S. bartenders are not allowed to enter or compete due to legal restrictions, as noted here before.
Do-Hwan Eom of the Ritz Bar at the Ritz-Carlton in Seoul was the runner-up, while Max La Rocca of Sheen Falls Lodge in Kerry, Ireland, took third place. Jordi Otero of the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona took the prize for Gastronomy Challenge of canapé matching, while Do-Hwan Eom took the Architecture/Market challenge, La Rocca won the Ritual and Cocktail Theatre challenge and Heinz Kaiser of Dino’s American Bar in Vienna took the Art/Speed and taste challenge. Timo Janse of Door 74 in Amsterdam won the Classic Cocktail challenge, and Torsten Spuhn of the Modern Master Bar and Lounge in Erfut, Germany took the Philosophy/Cocktail Mastery award. Learn more details here.
Geranium Gin, which is trying to make inroads in the U.S., is targeting Denmark with a national Gin Cocktail Competition. “The purpose of the competition is to encourage barmen to provide with the best gin cocktail possible in terms of taste, originality and presentation,” the company says. Of note is the promise that the winner will be invited to participate in the International Gin Cocktail Competition finals in 2011. Will the U.S. take part? Stay tuned.