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Bacardi Global Travel has invited cruise bartenders to submit their recipes for the 2015 Bacardi Cruise Bartender of the Year award.
The annual competition, now in its tenth year, is said to be the longest standing competition dedicated to the cruise industry. Its aim, according to Bacardi, is to identify the industry’s best bartender and is part of the company’s strategy to raise standards of professionalism and cocktail making in the cruise sector.
The competition opened on 19 November via www.bacardicruisecompetition.com and it is open to all bartenders on cruise and ferry lines. Participants are required to create their own cocktail recipes using at least one spirit from the Bacardi rum portfolio, taking inspiration from the flavours, the people and the places experienced in their travels.
All entrants stand the chance of making the finals in Miami 18-20 March 2015. Entries close on 12 January 2015 and the five finalists will be announced on 19 January 2015.
Bacardi Travel Retail Americas Retail Manager Zachary Sulkes commented: “Cruise is such a dynamic sector of tourism with strong levels of growth in the numbers of people choosing to vacation on the high seas – for example South America is a key market as more consumers start to travel internationally. With ever more sophisticated vessels launching each year and with many of these ‘super-ships’ offering up to 30 bars and restaurants as a major focus of the guest experience, we’re actively seeking to work with more cruise operators who share our vision to guarantee great cocktail experiences and to develop the mixology and presentation skills of the onboard bartender through initiatives such as the Bacardi Cruise Competition and in spotlighting the quality of destination bars such as Carnival’s Alchemy Bars, Molecular Bars and Norwegian’s Mojito Bars, to name just a few.
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Tallink Silja Line’s Liisi Kütt, winner of the 2014 Bacardi Cruise Competition Bartender of the Year, presents her winning Summer Fairy cocktail |
“Cocktails and vacationing are perfect companions, creating special moments and the chance to try something new. By helping the cruise lines and the ambitious onboard bar-tending community to enhance their craft, we can really create a sustained category driving strategy that wins all round. I know there’s a lot of excitement already in the bar-tending community and we look forward to welcoming back some familiar faces from the last few years’ competitions.
“Each bartender has a unique perspective on what makes the perfect cocktail – inspired by the flavours, the people and the places they’ve experienced in their travels. We want to see this come through in their submission, from personal passion and bold spirit, to unique creativity and innovation. We want them to show us what inspires them in their craft, in the same way they inspire their guests to have the best cocktail experience possible,” Sulkes concluded.
The winner will receive a US$5,000 cash prize and a “˜Bacardi experience’, selected to further the recipient’s craft and knowledge base.
In 2014, the top prize went to Europe for the first time, with Liisi Kütt from Estonia-based Tallink Silja Line claiming the award out of almost 2,000 entrants with her “˜Summer Fairy’ cocktail – a blend of Bacardi Grand Melon, Martini Prosecco, apple juice, fresh lime juice and syrup.
Kütt said: “The inspiration for the recipe came from my position looking out on the calm summer seas of the Baltic with a perfect soundtrack in the background from the live band playing in the bar. Summer Fairy is all about being in that magical moment where summer meets nature and you find yourself lost in time.”
2014 finalists included Carnival’s Ioana Luncean, Brian Bent and Vera Restarovic and NCL’s Joeped Garrido and Allan Garcia.
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The finalists from the 2014 competition (from left): Allan Garcia, Brian Bent, Liisi Kütt (winner), Ioana Luncean, Vera Restarovic, and Joeped Garrido |
