Bacardi Legacy reveals the 2013 finalists

Talented bartenders from 19 different countries will compete to create a classic cocktail in the global final of the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition next week.

The finalists, hailing from as far afield as Argentina, China and India, have been selected through a series of national heats and will battle it out in Puerto Rico on 25 April for the right to be named Bacardi Legacy champion 2013.

Along with the recognition of their drink, the winner will also receive a full year of support and nurture from Bacardi, with a development programme individually tailored to help them get where they want to go with their career. The winner will also recieve £500 worth of rare rum.

“There’s a magical quality to a classic cocktail – it’s the perfect mix of the perfect ingredients. Today, everyone in the cocktail world dreams of achieving this alchemy,” said Bacardi global brand ambassador, David Cordoba.

“We’re looking for a savvy bartender who loves to be challenged, is unafraid to innovate and who puts their all into every drink, creating cocktails that dazzle, delight and excite.”

The finalists are:
Lucas Lopez, Argentina. Cocktail: Last Call
Mario Hofferer, Austria. Cocktail: Cantineros Gentleman Daiquiri
Guillaume Guerbois, France. Cocktail: Hermosa Despendida
Foxyie Huang, China. Cocktail: Ru-Yi Knot
Dennis Wolf, Germany. Cocktail: A Hazy Shade of Apple
Sudam Biswal, India. Cocktail: The Golden Era
Giovanni Zottola, Italy. Cocktail: Maui Tiki Tiki
Robertas Janovskis, Lithuania. Cocktail: Lithuanian Daiquiri
Michael Rousseau, Mexico. Cocktail: Amalia
Rafal Nawrot, Poland. Cocktail: True Bacardi Desire
Jonathan Thomas, Puerto Rico. Cocktail: Liquid Plum Cake
Elizaveta Evdokimova, Russia. Cocktail: The Knight Cap
Nick Koumbarakis, South Africa. Cocktail: The Tourist
Francesco Angotti, Spain. Cocktail: Little Wing
Boudy Ghostine, Sweden. Cocktail: Latin Quarter
Nicolas Michel, Switzerland. Cocktail: Golden Prestige
Suwincha Singsuwan, Thailand. Cocktail: The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
Chris Moore, UK & Ireland. Cocktail: The Encantador
Nick Nistico, US. Cocktail: Garden Gimlet

The judging panel includes internationally renowned bartender Salvatore Calabrese, world champion flair bartender Nicholas Saint-Jean and winner of the 2011 Bacardi Legacy competition Marc Bonneton, who recently opened his third bar in Lyon.

Last year’s winner was New York City’s Shingo Gokan whose Speak Low cocktail – a version of a Bacardi Daiquiri – was based on his grandmother’s tea ceremony.

There’s no doubting that it’s competition season in the spirit world. Earlier this week Diageo revealed the ideas that had made it through to the final of its Show Your Spirit competition, while Tales of the Cocktail invited entrants to give their take on The Rickey.