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No.3 Gin names Pursuit of Perfection winner

Italy-based bartender Gioacchino Sorrentino has been crowned the winner of No.3 Gin’s 2022 Pursuit of Perfection cocktail competition.

No.3 Gin
No.3 Gin’s Pursuit of Perfection champion, Gioacchino Sorrentino

The fifth edition of the Pursuit of Perfection Competition accepted entries not only from the UK, but also Italy and Germany for the first time.

Bartenders were asked to create a cocktail recipe using No.3 London Dry gin, taking inspiration from the spirit’s three key flavours: juniper, citrus or spice.

All drinks had to contain a minimum of 40ml of No.3 Gin and a maximum of six ingredients. Contestants had four minutes for setting up before a 10-minute presentation of their cocktail.

The final, held last week (14 September) at the No.3 Gin distillery in Schiedam, Holland, saw four bartenders compete in a flavour-focused challenge.

The four bartenders proceeded to the final after competing against six other bartenders in the semi-final, held the day before.

Sorrentino, of Soul Salerno bar in Italy, won the competition with his cocktail, My Type of Gimlet.

“I took inspiration from one of my favourite classic gin cocktails, which is a Gimlet,” Gioacchino explained. “It’s super simple but also super complex, just like my personality and just like the beauty of No.3.”

Gioacchino was awarded a £5,000 (US$5,559) budget to create a takeover in a bar and location of his choice.

“I have always dreamt of winning a cocktail tournament, and so becoming the 2022 No.3 Gin Pursuit of Perfection Competition champion means a lot to me,” he added.

“It’s been a fantastic experience competing for one of the best London Dry gins on the market and meeting talented people who share my passion for bartending – that’s what competitions are for. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to create my own takeover and love the idea of doing this in either New York or Japan.”

The runners-up were: Adam Montanaro-Taylor of Project Halcyon in Manchester (second place); Raki Sillah of Kink Bar & Restaurant in Berlin (third place); and Lorenzo Piscitello of Artesian in London (fourth place).

This year’s panel of judges included Simon Difford of Difford’s Guide, Alessandro Palazzi of Dukes Bar in London, Christoph Henkel of Kirsch Whisky Distribution, and Myriam Hendrickx, master distiller of Rutte and De Kuyper.

Ross Bryant, No.3 Gin global brand ambassador, said: “The Pursuit of Perfection encapsulates our purpose as a brand – to constantly pursue perfection in all that we do – and I was impressed by this year’s finalists who mirrored this ethos throughout the competition.

“But Gioacchino truly nailed the brief; flavour was a large factor in the scoring process and his ‘My Type of Gimlet’ was exceptionally well-balanced, yet Gioacchino delivered a clear and concise presentation that brought everything together perfectly.

“For me, seeing bartenders from different cities and countries come together to compete against one another, but also to cheer each other on, summarises exactly what I love about this industry – hospitality.”

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