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Diageo World Class documentary airs

A new feature documentary about Diageo’s World Class competition has aired on Amazon Prime, promising to ‘change the way we think about cocktails forever’.

World Class
Spirit follows three global bartenders as they prepare for the 2022 World Class competition

Set against the backdrop of the annual Global Bartender of the Year competition, the documentary, called Spirit, reveals ‘the highs and lows’ of three of the world’s best bartenders as they participate in the global contest.

Director Ross Bolidai commented: “The aim of this new documentary was to get under the skin of World Class global finals to tell a story of tenacity, determination and spirit that reimagines how cocktails are seen globally. It was a privilege to witness the grit each of the competitors displayed from start to finish.”

The documentary follows the journey of competitors and country champions Sahil Essani of India, Liisa Lindroos from Finland, and Japan’s Yui Ogata, as they work towards the coveted title of World Class Global Bartender of the Year.

The filmmakers followed all three competitors as they prepared their recipes ahead of the global finals, which were hosted in Sydney, Australia in September last year.

The crown ultimately went to Oslo-based Slovakian bartender Adrián Michalčík.

The documentary offers insight from some of the industry’s leading trailblazers, including Lyaness owner Ryan Chetiyawardana; director of mixology at The Connaught Bar in London, Agostino Perrone; and World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2017, Kaitlyn Stewart.

Marissa Johnston, global head of World Class at Diageo, said: “Spirit so accurately captures the essence of World Class – one of the world’s biggest and most respected cocktail competitions. It’s a remarkable and compelling insight into what it takes to be a bartender today – we hope people enjoy it and are inspired to consider a career in the hospitality industry.”

Diageo has confirmed it will host the 14th edition of its global finals in São Paulo, Brazil from 23 – 27 September 2023.

The documentary became available to stream on Amazon Prime in select markets on World Cocktail Day (13 May).

To watch the trailer, click below.

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