Wenneker Swizzle Masters 2014 open for entries

Entries are now open for The Spirits Business’ virtual cocktail competition The Wenneker Swizzle Masters 2014, with a grand prize of £1,000 up for grabs.

Entries are now open for the first heat of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters 2014

The Wenneker Swizzle Masters is the world’s only virtual cocktail competition designed to test bartenders’ ability to invent an original drink recipe that can be easily recreated by any bartender, anywhere in the world.

Run throughout the year, the competition is divided into nine rounds, each of which is designed to test the flexibility of bartenders’ skills.

Every month entrants will be presented with a new base spirit and theme, from Savoury Gin cocktails to Irish Whiskey Americana, although every recipe entered throughout the year must contain at least a dash of Wenneker Liqueurs.

Our changing panel of expert judges will be looking for how well recipes fit each given theme, as well as judging the drink on its presentation, aroma, taste, overall balance and of course how easy it is to replicate.

Daisy Jones, associate publisher of The Spirits Business and event organiser of The Swizzle Masters, said: “This is the only competition in the world solely dedicated to testing bartenders’ recipe creation skills. The eventual winner of the competition will have had his or her recipe recreated by a range of bartenders, testing its simplicity, creativity and, above all, flavour, to the limit.

“The Swizzle Masters is now in its fourth year, and has grown to attract some of the biggest talent in the global bartending industry. We can’t wait to see what this year’s entries have in store!”

The rules

Bartenders from all over the world are invited to submit one recipe each month. Ten recipes will be chosen from each heat to be mixed by an independent bartender.

The winning drink from each round will go through to the semi-final in October, where it will be tested once more against the eight other winners from throughout the year.

Just five recipes will be selected to appear in the grand final where one cocktail will be chosen as the ultimate winner, and its creator crowned The Swizzle Master 2014. The winner will receive a trophy, certificate, an annual subscription to The Spirits Business; an interview and photograph in The Spirits Business magazine, plus £1,000.

Each round open for entries two months before the deadline.

The theme for the first round of the year is Savoury Gin, with a base spirit of Gin Mare, but don’t forget to add at least a splash of Wenneker Liqueurs to your recipe, the full range of which can be found on the Swizzle Masters website alongside the competition’s terms and conditions and full list of rounds.

Enter your recipe now at www.swizzlemasters.com before 17 January for your chance to win. The winners will be announced online and in the February issue of The Spirits Business.

Last year’s winner was Matteo Corsalini, from China Tang at The Dorchester in London, whose perfectly balanced and creative drink Scotch Sipper was unanimously voted for by the judges.