Savoy man wins Young UKBG Bartender award

The UK Bartenders’ Guild’s (UKBG) annual Young Bartender of the Year contest, held on Monday in London’s Shaker & Co, was won by Nathan Merrimen from The American Bar in The Savoy.

The contest, open to all UKBG members aged under 27, looks not only at a range of bartending skills, but also at general alcohol knowledge and competition sponsor Benedictine through a 90-question written exam.

Each of the ten contestants was asked to make two Benedictine cocktails each; one classic from a list of five, and one of their own creation.

The majority of points were awarded through the written exam (50%), before bartenders were examined on everything from their ability to engage with the customer, the technical elements of their drink production, and then finally the drink itself.

On the judging panel were UKBG president Daniel Crebesse, UKBG technical expert Brian Page, and Shaker’s head of training Amit Sood. Abarbanel, UKBG vice president Luca Cordigliera and London vice chairman Mike Sweetman were in charge of marking the written exams.

Merrimen’s Counterfeit Hall pre-dinner cocktail featuring vermouth, Benedictine and Yellow Chartreuse was deemed the best original cocktail, while his take on a classic Vieux Carre secured the win.

Merrimen, the overall winner, will go to Italy for the official IBA week-long training course, while runner-up Simone Caporale from The Artesian bar at The Langham Hotel in London won a week-long molecular mixology training course at the Shaker & Co school, official training centre for the UKBG.

Upon winning, Merrimen said: “I’m a bit overwhelmed – there was only one point difference between me and the runner up, and I feel very privileged to be involved in this excellent competition. This is the last year I can enter, so it’s even more special for me to win this. It’s been a tough competition – some great drinks with some great people.”

The top six contestants were (in descending order):

1. Nathan Merrimann
   Simone Caporale
   Alexander-Elliot Ball
   Andy Mill (London Cocktail Club)
   Davide Colombo (Salvatore’s Bar Playboy club)
   Alessandro Pizzoli (The Kensinthon Hotel)
2. Merrimen’s winning freestyle cocktail Counterfeit Hall:
3. 40ml Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth
   20ml D.O.M Benedictine
   7.5ml Yellow Chartreuse
   2 dashes Bitter Truth Celery Bitters
   1 Dash Absinthe
4. Stir and strain ingredients into a small goblet glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
5. Merrimen’s classic cocktail Vieux Carre:
6. 25ml Van Winkle Rye 13 years old
   25ml Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
   25ml Remy Martin vsop mature cask
   10ml Dom Benedictine
   2 dash angostura bitter
   2 dash peychauds bitters
   Stir and strain over ice into an old fashioned glass with a lemon twist garnish.