World Class names top 10 GB finalists
Diageo World Class has confirmed the 10 finalists for Great Britain this year, who will compete in London next month.
The majority of this year’s cohort represent London bars, with Edinburgh, Birmingham, Liverpool also in the mix.
The finalists span bartenders from hotels, destination bars, restaurants and independent venues, whittled down from thousands of entries.
This year’s World Class GB final will take place from 1-3 June at The Ned in London. The finalists will be tested on their technical precision, menu development and drinks knowledge.
The winner of the UK heat will be announced on 3 June and will go on to compete in the World Class global final held in Scotland later this year.
The top 10 includes seven finalists from London venues: Chelsie Bailey (Stonegate), David Alexander Riera (The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz), Laurie Howells (Archive & Myth), Luke O’Toole (Lyaness), Oscar Perry (Murder Inc), Rory Sorrell (The Royal Cocktail Exchange) and Yen-Cheng Chen (Tayēr + Elementary).
The remaining finalists are Carrie Smith of Hawskmoor Edinburgh, Alex Goacher from Sister Ray in Liverpool, and Matt Arnold of Birmingham’s Passing Fancies.
In March, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation revealed the top 15 US finalists for the 2026 World Class competition. They will compete in the national final in Chicago, Illinois, from 11-13 May.
Last month, Diageo changed the location of the 2026 global final from Dubai to Scotland to “ensure the event can go ahead safely and as planned”.
Diageo World Class said the global final would return to Dubai in 2027.
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