Licor 43 names 2024 competition winner
Julia Engel from Koer bar in Hamburg has won the 2024 edition of the Bartenders & Baristas Challenge from Spanish liqueur Licor 43.
The eighth edition of the annual competition took place in the brand’s hometown of Cartagena for the first time, following editions in Madrid and Gran Canaria.
The contest asks bartenders to pair Licor 43 with coffee, with this year’s edition having an increased focus on education, including workshops and seminars.
More than 1,600 people registered worldwide, with 524 entrants making it through to the first rounds as part of the two-day final.
Engel won with her ‘A Day in Life’ cocktail, which blends Licor 43 Original, Bokma Oude Friesche Genever, Hörner Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 and ‘Candy Crush’ filter coffee.
Second place went to Jiří Mališ from Estonia, who created ‘Red & The Joe’, followed by Mike Vander Horn from the US with ‘Pilè Pasión’.
The competition was hosted by Gavin Wrigley, head of education at the European Bartender School. The judging panel comprised Iain McPherson, founder of Edinburgh bar Panda & Sons and Edinburgh Bar Show; Chris Leavitt, industry veteran turned content creator; Merijn Gijsbers, a former World Barista Champion and independent barista consultant; and Gabriela Wong, the 2023 Licor 43 Bartenders & Baristas champion.
“This year, we returned to our roots in Cartagena, Licor 43’s homeland, and also increased the competition’s focus on education,” said Blanca de la Infiesta, chief marketing officer for spirits at parent firm Zamora Company.
“For eight years now, we’ve been exploring the natural marriage of aromas and flavours between Licor 43 and coffee, but our mission for 2024 was also to take our community deeper into the science and knowledge of cocktails.
“We are thrilled at the experience and knowledge that could be passed on by our seminar leaders and judging panel, and among our participants who approached every task with enthusiasm, creativity and professionalism.”
After seminars on coffee and mixology, each finalist put their learnings into practice through three challenges: the Speed Up Challenge, where they had to prepare four Carajillo cocktails as quickly as possible; Mystery Box, which saw finalists graded on their use of cocktail clarification techniques from a seminar by 2022 winner Yeferson Avila; and a Switching Challenge following McPherson’s seminar on ‘alternative flavour creation’.
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