Desi Daru names judges for its 2025 cocktail competition
British-Indian vodka brand Desi Daru has confirmed the 2025 judges for its annual Culture Colliders Cocktail Competition.
Returning to the judging panel this year are: Aneet Kaur, co-founder of Desi Daru; Sukhinder Singh, co-founder of Speciality Drinks, The Whisky Exchange and Elixir Distillers; and Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business.
Joining them this year will be last year’s competition winner, Vitor Sousa, who is assistant bar manager at London’s The Churchill Bar & Terrace.
Sousa impressed the judges last year with his creative cocktail, The Duke of Goa, which blended smoked paprika-infused Desi Daru with homemade English mustard cordial, and coriander to tell a story of flavour, history and migration.
Mohit Singh, who co-founded Desi Daru with his wife Kaur, said: “Having Vitor return as a judge is incredibly exciting. He understands the competition from both sides, as a competitor and now as a judge. He joins Sukhinder, Aneet and Melita, who did a fantastic job, and we are very proud to have them back for a second year.”
The final of the Culture Colliders competition will take place on 17 November in London.
Bartenders still have time to submit their entries on the Desi Daru website until the deadline on 20 October.
The brief is to design a cocktail that blends India and the entrant’s home country using Desi Daru Alphonso Mango Vodka. Each cocktail must feature at least one Indian-inspired ingredient and one from the bartender’s home country, or Britain.
£2,500 prize up for grabs
The winner will receive a trophy, a visit to the distillery where Desi Daru is made, a Michelin-starred meal for two, and £2,500 (US$3,400) cash.
A £500 (US$675) prize and a trip to the distillery will be awarded to second place, while third place will also be invited to the distillery and receive £250 (US$340).
Kiely commented: “I have worked in the spirits industry for more than 10 years and last year’s competition was the first time I had seen a bartender incorporate English mustard into their recipe – a bold move, beautifully executed, and one that resulted in a brilliantly complex, balanced, and story-filled winning cocktail for Vitor.
“This is one of the things I love about judging cocktail competitions – you have to expect the unexpected. It’s incredibly exciting to see how each bartender interprets the brief, draws on their own experiences, and designs something innovative.
“I’m looking forward to judging this year’s final again – and can’t wait to see what clever concoctions the finalists serve us this year.”
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