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Halewood debuts UK cocktail competition

Halewood Artisanal Spirits has launched The Grand Cocktail Competition, which will task UK bartenders with creating their own products to be mixed in cocktails for the chance to win £1,000 (US$1,313).

Halewood competition winner
Giuseppe Quartararo from Nightjar, 2021 Grand Martini Competition winner

Following the success of its Grand Martini Competition in 2021, Whitley Neill gin owner Halewood has unveiled a series of events under its Grand Cocktail Competition title for 2022.

The contests will challenge bartenders from across the UK to work alongside Halewood’s team of drinks specialists to make unique spirits that will be used to create bespoke cocktails.

The Grand Cocktail Competition opened for entries on 4 March, with the first challenge asking competitors to make their own bitters to be mixed in a Sour cocktail that includes a Whitley Neill gin.

The entrants will present to a panel of judges at the final, due to be held at Halewood’s City of London Distillery on 5 April.

William Borrell, who heads up creative direction at Halewood Artisanal Spirits, said: “The Grand Cocktail Competition is an on-trade event like no other, taking bartenders from the UK and immersing them into an event by pitting their skills into the creation of spirit production, the ideas behind cocktail creation and the forgotten art of hospitality.

“It’s amazing to see so much creativity out there within the trade, which is why we wanted to grow this competition at scale. Using our distilleries across the UK from the City of London Distillery to the Bristol and Bath Rum Distillery (the home of Dead Man’s Fingers Rum) also means that we can open up the competition to bartenders across the country, which is really exciting.”

The Grand Cocktail Competition can be entered via www.grand-cocktail.com.

The winner will receive a £1,000 (US$1,313) cash prize and their winning creation will also be bottled as a limited edition ready-to-drink serve. The product will be sold at the winner’s bar, as well as The City of London Distillery and online through The Drop Store.

The next contest will be the Grand Daiquiri Cocktail Competition, with details to be unveiled this summer.

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