Opihr World Adventure 2015 in pictures

After an initial hour to scour the souks of Marrakech on the Friday night, contestants for the Opihr World Adventure Cocktail Competition 2015 were given their second and final 60-minute slot on Saturday morning to find, haggle and buy everything they needed to create their bespoke Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin cocktails.

Even the glassware had to be sourced on site, resulting in an array of traditional Moroccan vessels from tajines to teapots purchased – all within the 300 dirham (£30) budget of each entrant.

Once the hour was up, it was back to the hotel – Riad La Maison Rouge – where the bartenders had just two hours to prepare their ingredients with their market supplies.

It’s never easy going first – but rising calmly and confidently to the challenge was US bartender, Francois Morrison, of Cherche Midi in New York, who presented his drink Camel and the Boat in a regal red chalice, accompanied by a model camel and a boat made out of melon.

Judges Raj Ravalia, Marblehead brand development, and Kate Harrison, international brand manager at Quintessential Brands, eagerly stepped up to the bar to sample the drinks and judge them based on criteria including presentational skills, aroma, flavour, balance and innovation.

Next to pick up his shaker and represent the US was Bryan Gerrard, of Smack Shack in Minneapolis, who designed a drink called The Moroccan Good Hand inspired by stories about “location and change”.

Flying the flag for Ireland was Stephanie Shen of The Meeting House, Dublin, who took the judges on a journey of her experiences in Marrakech through her drink – Souk Snake Oil – accompanied by a background recording of the sounds from the markets.

Unknowingly to anyone, the next contestant would find herself the 2015 winner just hours after picking up her muddler. Mariena Mercer of The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, impressed the panel with her attention to detail and innovative style. Sharing her personal thoughts scribbled in her journal upon arrival in Morocco, and playing a Moroccan-style wooden recorder to relay some of the sounds that had grabbed her attention, Mercer delivered the Classy Lassi – a take on the Indian lassi milkshake.

Spanish bartender Valentina Vadici earned herself an extra 100 dirham to spend on her ingredients the day before the competition, having won a mystery box mini cocktail competition prepared by Harrison, Ravalia and Amanda Moorhouse, PR for Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin at Quintessential Brands. Vadici’s presentation was adorned with trinkets, treasure chests and maps to accompany her concoction, King Solomon III.

Last to compete in the first round was Joe Macbeth of Rub Smokehouse & Bar, Nottingham, UK, whose short drink, Postcard From a Friend, depicted the emotional journey of the competition. To further demonstrate his connection to both the brand and the contestants, Macbeth ended his presentation by gifting everyone on the trip with a “Marrakech” bracelet.

Once the judging for group one was complete, there was a brief pause before David Wade took to the stage to create a drink before judges Judith Garcia, Opihr Gin brand ambassador for Spain, and Melita Kiely, senior staff writer at The Spirits Business. Wade’s creation, called Pharaoh’s Daughter, was stunningly presented in a tajine adorned with the Star of David to represent the city’s Hebrew quarters, and garnished with roses cleverly crafted out of grapefruit skin.

Second to stand up behind the bar in round two was Steven Maduro from the US, whose simple but perfectly executed drink had the judges wanting more. Maduro took inspiration from the “hospitality and friendliness of Morocco” to create a bright and refreshing cocktail, ideal for sipping throughout the day beside a pool beneath the beating Moroccan sun. 

John Burns, of Intercontinental London Park Lane, took the judges back in time to when mint tea was first brought to Morocco in the 1850s during the Crimean war – the result of a British merchant who was unable to sell his tea in the Baltic region and consequently wound up in Morocco.

Back to Spain, and the next entrant to entertain the judges was Alvaro Martin, of Hotel ME, Ibiza, who came in second place in the overall competition. Martin chose to base his drink on his own journey of leaving his wife and sons in Ibiza to take part in the 2015 Opihr World Adventure Cocktail Competition, and used cinnamon and citrus to perfectly complement the spice botanicals in Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin.

After a long wait, it was Portuguese bartender Tiago Sousa, of Casino Liboa, in Lisbon, who was the final competitor to rise to the challenge. Sousa wowed the judges with his smooth, fresh, minty cocktail presented in a charming and collected manner.

After much to-ing and fro-ing, the judging panels agreed upon Mercer and Martin as the winners of each group, and challenged them to recreate their respective cocktails for all to taste and judge. Once the votes had been cast, it was time to sit down for a last supper together as the Moroccan sun set.

Once the plates were cleared, it was with great jubilation that Mercer was proclaimed the 2015 Opihr World Adventure Cocktail Competition winner and an elated team of contestants celebrated with a dip in the pool and, of course, an Opihr Gin and tonic.