Big guns turn out for UKBG heat

You can often determine the quality of a cocktail competition by the quality of the judges, so it was clear the stakes were high when the panel of adjudicators was announced for the recent UKBG London heat.

From Ago Perrone to Marion Beke, Alex Kratena and BBFB’s very own Alex Turner, the Bombay Sapphire-sponsored event invited a who’s who of bartending greats into the judging mix.

Adding to the list were the likes of Amit Sood, John Clay and Davide Guidi of the Four Seasons, along with Chris Moore Head Bartender at the Savoy, and Daniel Crebesse the UKBG President.

The high profile judging panel not only emphasised the draw of a UKBG competition these days, it also ensured that anyone competing would need to be at their very best to make it through.

The contest was held at the Light Bar at the St Martins Lane Hotel and with a huge turnout the 34 competitors were tasked with twisting a Tom Collins.

The judges were looking for an element of innovation and flair combined with an affection and appreciation for this classic cocktail, all of which was a massive challenge.

Of the competitors only three were first timers and the range of talent was evidence that the UKBG has a solid fan base in London. But with judges tasting blind there was an opportunity for even the newest of cocktail comers to score highly on flavour.

Ago Perrone was among the judges in the first phase of a mammoth four-hour session.

“It’s always difficult to blind taste,” he admitted. “It can be easier if you get an explanation from the bartender around the concept. But it made the best stand out and I liked it when I could identify the use of a particular botanical. Some broke down the DNA of the cocktail itself, but others looked at the make up of Bombay Sapphire. It’s a versatile gin so there’s lots for you to work with on flavour.

“It was good to see some new faces at a UKBG competition, there are more great bars opening and there’s an increase of knowledge with the bartenders out there so it’s good to see them come together for this competition.”

Marion Beke is enjoying life at the successful Nightjar bar, a very different set up to a hotel bar like Ago’s Connaught.

“It was interesting to see the different styles of drinks in our sitting as judges,” he said. “There were clearly some with intricate garnishes that had a hotel feel, but then also some that could have come from the more trendy bars. That’s not to say one was better than the other but there was a clear difference between how people approached the gin and the cocktail. Bombay can be a very subtle gin so for me I liked to see people lifting some of the botanical flavours in their creations.”

Marion judged with another award-winning bartender in Alex Kratena who has enjoyed success with his various menus at the Artesian bar at the Langham.

Having competed in many competitions himself, Alex had clear views on what he preferred.

“It is always a challenge to make a long drink in competitions because you have a lot of ice in the drink and a lower abv. If you had a choice you would tend to make something else, but that just makes the competition even more challenging.

“Some of the drinks we tried were led by the sweeter flavours, others went sour but what we wanted to see was the drinks being easily related to the brand. These stood out.”

Anyone who had the benefit of sitting in on these judging panels was exposed to forums and discussions on the use of Bombay in the Tom Collins and a host of other subjects beyond that. While Amit Sood and John Clay judged, their drinks inspired a conversation about trends and fashions in cocktails that justified a feature in itself.

Alex Turner judged with them and also had clear views on what he needed from a winning drink.

“I always argue it’s about balance,” he said. “The Tom Collins demands this balance with the flavours and the effervescence. The first two I tried really lacked that. But that’s the great challenge in a drink like this.

“We got Bombay involved because we want to reconnect with the bartenders on the brand. If you look at the history of Bombay then you can point to the likes of Dick Bradsell who used it to create the Bramble, so it’s an iconic gin.

“We put a lot of weight on the providence of these botanicals and a competition like this helps to remind the bartenders what’s in Bombay Sapphire.”

After the 34 competitors had taken their turn it was down to competition host Luca Cordiglieri, vice president UKBG and bar manager at China Tang at The Dorchester Hotel, to add up the numbers with fellow organisers Stefano Cossio from The Savoy, and Sebastien Guesdon, London chairman, bar manager of Roast Restaurant, and Roberto Bongo from the Connaught Hotel.

Announcements revealed a total of 18 had made it through to the next phase of the comp, and with a heat in Edinburgh still to be held they will have until 4 July to prepare for the grand final. The winner of which will go on to represent the UKBG at the IBA finals in Poland.

Among the winners was Tom Aske of the hugely successful Purl bar, a venue with an innovative approach to mixology that is in stark contrast to some of the hotel bars he competed with. His Genesis cocktail played up the citrus notes of the gin but with it he created a soda to accentuate the liquorice, proving his understanding of the gin could facilitate a neat twist on the cocktail.

Simone Caporale of the Langham was another winner: “It was important to identify the heritage of the gin as well as the botanicals in it,” he said. “I made a Bombay soda with the botanical elements in it and also brought in an element of afternoon tea to my serve to give it a sense of history.”

The bartenders that won had retained the balance of the classic Tom Collins cocktail but also infused a bit of their personality into the drinks. That the judges had so much choice and picked 18 very different winners was evidence that London really is setting some amazing standards in cocktails. The ultimate winner will undoubtedly give the IBA finalists a good run for their money.

Tom Sandham, 14.06.2011