Beefeater names 31 MIXLDN 7 global finalists

Beefeater gin has announced the full list of finalists in its global MIXLDN 7 cocktail competition.

Timothy Ching was the global winner of Beefeater MIXLDN 6

A total of 31 bartenders (listed below) will go head-to-head in the final leg of the competition next month after winning their national heats.

Judging the four-day final will be: Difford’s Guide editor Simon Difford, acclaimed bartender and Dandelyan founder Ryan Chetiyawardana, Dukes Hotel’s Alessandro Palazzi, and Beefeater master distiller Desmond Payne.

The participants will be tasked with creating a creating a cocktail “inspired by their home city’s urban diversity”.

“This year’s competition has already been the toughest yet, with bartenders from all four corners of the globe creating unique and innovative cocktails,” said Payne.

“We are experiencing a renaissance in cocktail culture, with the profession of bartending seen in a new light. Through competitions like MIXLDN 7 we are helping to put local ‘mixologists’ on the global stage.”

The overall winner, who will be announced on 8 February, will have the opportunity to create their own gin with Payne, who was recently named MBE.

MIXLDN 7 will take place in London from 5-8 February.

Last year, Hong Kong bartender Timothy Ching (pictured, centre) was crowned winner of the sixth annual Beefeater MIXLDN cocktail competition.

MIXLDN 7 finalists:

Canada – Jason Griffin, Bacchanal

Iceland – Jónmundur Borsteinsson, Apotek Restaurant

Croatia – Marino Karinja, Bokamorra

Finland – Clément Cariou, A21 Decades

Slovakia – Miroslav Telehanič, Sky Bar & Restaurant

Serbia & Montenegro – Stefan Ćirković, Balkon

Belgium – Julian Kappert, Mercado Antwerp

Bulgaria – Margarita Dimova, Sputnik

China – Ziyu Zhang, The Peninsula, Beijing

Denmark – Marianna Kozanyiova, Curfew Cocktail Bar

Estonia – Mikk Kelder, Butterfly Lounge

Lithuania – Gabrielė Sasnauskaitė, Alchemikas

Mexico City – Luis Fernando Romero Lopez, Bootlegger

Norway – Maxime Verrier, ISM Oslo

Poland – Patryk Kowalski, Woda Ognista

UK – Alexander Walker. The Beaufort Bar, Savoy

Austria – Manuela Lerchbaumer, Easy Bar in Linz

Brasil – Luciano Guimarães, Pina Cocktails & Co (Speakeasy bar)

New Zealand – Charles Stringer David Gillet, Poplar Social

Cyprus – Pavlos Aslanidis, Columbia Beach

Czech Republic – Hana Graclikova, Bar Super Panda Circus

Greece – Ioannis Alexandros Dontas, Bartesera

USA – Jason Seele

Cuba – Arturo Castro de la Uz, Restaurant

Italy – Corey Squarzoni, Speakeasy Liquid Bar

Japan – Satoshi Sugiura

Peru – Jose Anibal Huayllani, Maido

Argentina – Ariel Figueroa

Hong Kong – Maxim Schulte

Sweden – Simon Epale, Pharmarium

South Africa – Keanu Batista