Crystal Head cocktail contest returns

Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Head Vodka brand has launched the 2023 edition of its Creative Spirit Challenge in the UK after a four-year hiatus.

The Creative Spirit Challenge cocktail competition will feature four semi-final heats in Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol and London.

Competitors will be tasked with creating and showcasing their cocktails using at least 50ml of Crystal Head Vodka Original. All applicants must upload a photo of their creation and their drinks recipe.

Entries to the competition will close on Tuesday 9 May.

“Bringing back the Creative Spirit Challenge is hugely important to Crystal Head Vodka, seeing first-hand the surge in global innovation in cocktails post-pandemic, the world has fully reopened and is shaking up some of the best drinks I’ve ever seen, it’s mind-blowing,” said PJ Jaurre, global brand ambassador.

“This competition is all about finding the hottest raw talent that’s rising up in UK bars, pushing them to reveal their true creative spirits – what Crystal Head is all about – and I’m super excited to see and try the results.”

The eight finalists will be invited to London for a two-day creative session, where they will attend a hands-on jewellery workshop hosted by The Great Frog. Each bartender will be gifted a Great Frog ring and a bottle of the vodka.

The grand final will be held the following day (27 June) in London, where entrants will be tasked with creating cocktails using both Crystal Head Original and Onyx Vodka.

The winner will receive flights and accommodation to attend the Athens Bar Show in November 2023, alongside being crowned Crystal Head Vodka’s UK Startender 2023.

Aykroyd, the Canadian star known for Ghostbusters, created the vodka brand in 2008.

In December 2022, the vodka brand teamed up with British fashion designer Joshua Kane to release three limited edition luxury bottle casings.