Desi Daru launches its first cocktail contest

Vodka brand Desi Daru is calling on bartenders across the UK to participate in its inaugural cocktail competition.

Named ‘Desi Daru Culture Colliders’, the competition tasks bartenders with making a cocktail using a minimum of 40ml of Desi Daru’s Alphonso mango-flavoured expression, one Indian-inspired ingredient and one British-inspired ingredient.

The entries will then be blind judged both on the serve and the story.

Desi Daru’s founder, Mohit Singh, said “We are beyond excited to introduce Desi Daru Culture Colliders as a platform for bartenders to explore the flavours and inspiration that define our brand.

“We have received such incredible feedback from the on-trade about our vodkas, particularly our Alphonso Mango flavour, so we can’t wait to see the innovative cocktails that emerge from it.”

Submissions can be made on the Culture Colliders website or by emailing the brand on info@desidaru.com

After the judging, participants will move onto the next stage of the contest, the grand final, where they’ll showcase their serves in front of a panel of judges in London.

First place will receive a £2,000 (US$2,538) cash prize along with a trip to Wood Brothers Distillery (where Desi Daru is made) in Oxfordshire, a meal for two at a Michelin star restaurant, and a trophy.

Last year, Desi Daru revealed a new-look design for its bottles, drawing inspiration from Indian architecture.

The vodka is made from a fusion of British and Indian ingredients.

The mango flavour was awarded with the Taste Master accolade at The Spirits Business‘s Vodka Masters 2023 blind tasting – the highest honour an expression can be given.