Angostura crowns cocktail challenge champion
Kat Hood from Barcelona was the winner of the 2025 global cocktail challenge from Trinidadian rum brand Angostura.
Hood, from College Cocktail Bar in Barcelona, represented Southern Europe at the 2025 Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge.
The 11th annual finals took place at the Brix Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. Fifteen finalists were challenged to create their own versions of Trinidad’s classic cocktail, the Queen’s Park Swizzle. The bitters-forward serve was created in the 1920s; it blends rum, mint, demerara sugar, and freshly squeezed lime, and is topped with several dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters.
The finalists travelled to Trinidad from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Dubai, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the US, and the Caribbean.
Hood won the competition with her signature Galleon Sunset Swizzle cocktail, taking home a US$10,000 cash prize and a two-year contract as global brand ambassador for the House of Angostura.
The runner-up, Jay Cozma of Old Love’s Place in Sydney, Australia, was awarded the role of Angostura brand ambassador for Oceania.
Alex Fahrenheim placed third in the competition and became the brand’s ambassador for South Africa.
Jack Sotti, co-founder of Archive & Myth, led the judging panel. He was supported by Daniel Ortega, co-founder of Bijou Drinkery Room in Mexico City and the man behind Rubí Bar and Less is More; Raymond Edwards, Angostura’s chief brand educator; and Marv Cunningham, the winner of the 2020 Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge.
The judges awarded points for innovation, flavour exploration, taste, bartending skills, storytelling, and sustainable techniques in drink preparation.
Sotti said: “Kat is a really great representation of what hospitality is all about. She makes excellent cocktails and has such a warm embrace when you step into her orbit.
“Kat has a wonderful energy about her, and the way she interacted and connected very well with everyone off and on the stage made her a real favourite in the competition. And then she turned up on the competition day, and she smashed it by making two delicious, well-balanced drinks.
“Her presentation was really polished and strong, and that followed through with the delivery and garnishes of her drinks.”
The winning serve
To create the Galleon Sunset Swizzle, Hood was inspired by both the Queen’s Park Swizzle and Spain’s Rebujito cocktail. She engaged the judges by taking them on a journey through the ingredients, narrating the story of the historic maritime voyages that connected East and West.
The Galleon Sunset Swizzle combined Angostura 7 Year Old rum with an apple-ginger-peppercorn cordial and miso-infused fino Sherry. Fresh Thai basil added anise notes, while orange and hibiscus bitters created a ‘vibrant sunset effect’. The cocktail was described as ‘crisp, umami-rich, and aromatic’.
Hood said: “I’m absolutely buzzing. I couldn’t be happier to be the first woman to have won this competition and to represent not only Spain but also all the women bartenders out there. I’m looking forward to spreading the word: ‘Angostura rum rum rum, let’s have fun’.
“Thank you to Angostura – I promise I won’t let you down. Thank you to all the judges who have been like mentors throughout the competition, and thank you to the other contestants. It wasn’t really about the competition in the end, but it was about the camaraderie that we had with each other. We’ve made lifelong friends and from the word go we’ve had that ‘familia’ connection between us, and I can’t put a price on that.”
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