Angostura GCC in pictures

The Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge took place in Trinidad last week – SB was invited along to experience the creativity of the competition, and join in the jubilance of Carnival.

Twelve global bartenders, the world’s drinks press and an entourage of international partners and guests gathered under the Trinidadian sun – it could only be Angostura’s Global Cocktail Challenge – or #AngoGCC for the social media savvy.

Local competitor Neal Ramdhan triumphed in the eighth edition of the competition, held at the House of Angostura on 7 February. But with the brand’s rich history, along with the vibrancy of Carnival season, each and every participant was treated to a winning experience.

Click through the following pages to see the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2016 in pictures, and see SB‘s March edition for further details. 

Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain, served as a central hub for the #AngoGCC events. Overlooking Queen’s Park Savannah – the home of many Carnival festivities and also the world’s largest roundabout – the Hilton hotel ‘s natural vantage point meant we were right in the action, immersed in the sound of soca music all day and night. Perfect party vibes in the run up to the cocktail competition and beyond.

No visit to the House of Angostura, just outside Port of Spain in Laventille, would be complete without a tour of the production facilities. This is the Bitters Room, where the iconic Angostura Bitters are produced. The recipe is a closely guarded secret, with a botanicals room tucked away behind a locked door. We love that the signature labels are recreated on th side of the 15,000 litre blending vats. 

A magnificent sight – Angostura’s two sets of continuous stills, used for the production of the House’s rum products. The smaller, 80ft still was installed more than 50 years ago, while its giant 120ft brother was added in 2005. The smaller set of stills, known as ‘Old Boy’, can produce around 25,000 litres of alcohol per day, while the larger, younger model can churn out around 75,000 litres. 

Unusually for a rum producer, Angostura has an on-site cooperage where predominately once-used Bourbon barrels are repaired and made fit for rum maturation. Angostura also hosts a number of training courses for coopers from across the Caribbean. Retired cooper expert, Lennard Lewis, returned to conduct a three‐week coopering workshop in 2015 for young people interested in this dying trade. For the course, 13 people from across Trinidad came daily to participate in the workshop, which covered the history of coopering, what it takes to be a cooper, tool usage, hoop placement and measurement, barrel rRepair and barrel assembly.

The evening before #AngoGCC, we were treated to a night at Panorama 2016 – the national steel pan championships, held at Queen’s Park Savannah. We witnessed some medium bands (pictured) and the large bands, where hundreds of musicians, plus dancers and flag bearers, put on a show for the panel of judges. The orchestral spectacle well and truly kicked off the party.

#AngoGCC day dawned fine and bright, and anticipation was in the air as the live-streaming film crew set up for the day. Each bartender was allowed ten minutes preparation time, before they were given seven minutes to craft and present their two showpiece serves: a freestyle cocktail with any base spirit and Angostura Orange Bitters; and a rum cocktail which was required to use any Angostura international rum as a base, and Angostura Aromatic Bitters.

The judges certainly faced a tough time deliberating. The panel featured (L-R) Australia’s Michael Tomasic, winner of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2014; head judge, author and leading mixologist, Jeff “Beach Bum” Berry; celebrated US chef Kathy Kasey; renowned, London-based career bartender, Esther Medina Cuesta; and and Carol Homer, Angostura’s senior manager – quality assurance.

The 12 bartender finalists hailed from across the world. Here, South Korea’s Yong Won Seo is creating his freestyle cocktail ‘Romance’, and his rum cocktail, ‘Man of Man’. In addition to the US$10,000 prize, the #AngoGCC winner is also awarded a two-year role as brand ambassador. 

After creating and presenting the two serves, each bartender was interviewed to camera by The Cocktail Lovers’ Sandrae Lawrence (L). Representing the US was Elizabeth Mickiewicz, who tapped into global cocktail trends with her Amaro-based freestyle cocktail Wanderlust, and her Sherry-influenced rum cocktail, Trinidad Cobbler. 

“All the bartenders were of a very high standard and it was very difficult for us to come down to the final three,” said head judge Berry as the winners were announced. “We enjoyed ourselves as all the cocktails were exceptional.” 

The top three bartenders couldn’t have looked happier. In addition to scooping the top prize, Ramdhan (centre) also won best freestyle cocktail with Bitter Mayan. South Africa’s Dino Jose Batista (left) took second place overall and best rum cocktail with his The Sanctuary serve, while Canada’s Jonathan Strokowski Ross (right) placed third.

Following all the #AngoGCC excitement – and a very early start for pre-Carnival, paint-throwing extravagansa, J’Ouvert – a day “down the islands” seemed like a fitting opportunity for some rest and relaxation. Angostura’s ocean-front properties were the perfect spot for a dip in the sunshine. 

But the hard work wasn’t quite over for the bartenders – a flash non-alcoholic cocktail challenge added a final competitive element. Here, the UK’s Manachain Monaghan and Mickiewicz create and present an alcohol-free serve to judges Berry and Cuesta in just five minutes. In the end, South Korea’s Seo and Brazil’s competitor, Matheus Cunha, were named joint winners. 

And then… it was Carnival time! Held every year on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival has become world-famous for its colourful costumes, wining dancing, and, of course, the soca music. 

Revellers take to the streets for one or both days, joining a Mas band, and parading, partly for the judges, situated along the routes across Port of Spain, but mostly to have a jolly good time. 

From the incredible costumes to the hypnotic soca beats, Carnival Tuesday was a heady day of energy, exuberance and all-round fun. An enormous thank you to the Angostura team, and congratulations again to #AngoGCC champion, Neal Ramdhan, and all the finalists: Cameron Attfield of New Zealand, James Irvine of Australia, Daniel Vestman Erikkson of Sweden, Monaghan of the UK, Seo of South Korea, Cunha of Brazil, Jonathan Strokowski Ross of Canada, Nikita Khlopyanov of Russia, Batista of South Africa, Paul Peterson of St. Maarten and  Mickiewicz of the USA.