Bols Around the World announces semi-finalists
The semi-finalists have been announced for the 2013 Bols Around the World Bartending Championship.
Bols Bartending World Champion 2012, Gabor Onufer
Now in its seventh year, the Bols Bartending Championship is once again seeking the best and most charismatic bartenders from 66 countries worldwide.
This year the semi-finalists were chosen from “the most extensive pool of high-level entries the contest has ever seen”.
The team of judges, headed by The Bols Bartending Academy, was impressed by the level of creativity which came not only from bartenders in leading cocktail cities like London and New York, but across all countries.
Twenty-one bartenders will head to the semi-finals in Amsterdam on 1 May, where just 12 will make it through to the Grand Final on 7 May to battle it out to be crowned Bols Bartending World Champion 2013.
In order to select the semi-finalists, 16 regions worldwide judged their competing regional entries and each selected a regional winner. There are also five ‘Young Talents’ selected from a pool of 500 scouted across the globe by the Bols Bartending Academy.
So far the names of 18 semi-finalists have been released, having been put through their paces during the first three competition stages since 1 December 2012.
Only one Young Talent can make it to the final to take on the 11 experienced bartenders. This Young Talent finalist will receive additional training at the Bols Bartending Academy to compete on par with the others.
The 2013 Grand Final
The Grand Final of Bols Around the World is a spectacular event in which the world’s best bartenders showcase their skills, while 1100 guests enjoy Bols Cocktails and shows from DJs, singers and the World Champions Tandem Flair: Tomek & Marek. All 1100 guests taste the finalists’ cocktails and award their own public winner.
The winning bartender will go on an all-expenses-paid eight-day bar tour around the world to four cocktail cities of his/her choice as well as a trip to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this summer.
All semi-finalists will become Bols Brand Ambassadors and win a second trip to Amsterdam for a unique training programme at the Bols Bartending Academy.
This year the global panel of judges across the finals and semi-finals will be headed by Malika Saidi, head trainer Bols Bartending Academy and will feature last year’s Bols Bartending World Champion Gabor Onufer.
The panel also includes Anistatia Miller & Jared Brown, directors of Mixellany Limited, Hidetsugu Ueno, owner and bartender of Bar High Five Tokyo, Jeff (Beachbum) Berry, and Ago Perrone, global brand ambassador for Galliano.
Up to the minute information for the contest can be found at the Bols website.
The semi-finalists are:
Canada: Jenner Cormier (The Middle Spoon, Noble)
USA: Tom Richter (The Beagle, NYC)
Central America & Caribbean: Luuk Gerritsen (Vegas 360, Curacao)
Argentina: To be announced on 17th April at the BATW national final in Buenos Aires
UK: Rusty Cerven (The Connaught Bar, London)
Scandinavia: Leszek Stachura (The Union, Copenhagen)
Germany: André Pintz (Steigenberger Grandhotel Handelshof Leipzig)
Italy: Tiziana Borreani (cafè del mar, Savona)
Western Europe: Ciro de Georgio (Dvars, Amsterdam)
Eastern Europe: Alexandru Tudor (Barmania, Bucharest)
Russia: To be announced on 12th April at the BATW national final in St Petersburg
Poland: Mateusz Szuchnik (Pies Czy Suka Pure Bar, Pogorzel)
Japan: Michie Nishida (Bar Open Door B2, Osaka)
Middle East & Africa: Jimmy Barrat (Zuma, Dubai)
Asia: Seongha Lee(Kap Bar & Dining, Seoul)
Australia & New Zealand: Benjamin Tua (Mechanics Institute, Perth)
Young Talent Holland: Stefan van Zuijlen (Jersey, Goes)
Young Talent Europe: Hungary Fanni Laikó (Boutiq’ Bar, Budapest)
Young Talent Americas: José Kennedy Nascimento (MyNYbar, Sao Paolo)
Young Talent Australasia & Africa: Nokoy Mak (Quinary, Hong Kong)
