Diageo Kenya has officially launched the World Class Bartender of the Year competition, a prestigious and respected global mixology competition. More than 100 bartenders will be battling it out to win the coveted World Class Bartender of the Year award. The winner will represent Kenya in the global final that will be held in Sydney, Australia in September 2022, where they will compete with other top bartenders around the world.
The launch took place at the Heroes Restaurant at the Trademark hotel that produced the 2021 winner, Kelvin Thairu currently stationed in Dubai. Participants will go through a series of training programmes dubbed World Class Studios, that seek to push boundaries, educate and inspire bartenders around the globe on how to create exquisite cocktails. The studios will be a hybrid of physical and virtual sessions to accommodate all participants. The sessions will be run by the Diageo Kenya Brand Ambassador team.
This year’s World Class studios will center around the following.
- The Ketel one community brew: Focusing on the history and varieties of tea and coffee, the local community impact, and how they can be incorporated into serves in a sustainable way.
- The Singleton and Talisker cocktail cratography: Touches on the whisky experience, including rituals and traditions, impact of landscape on flavors and stories behind scotch whiskies.
- The Johnnie walker first draft: This will deep dive into the history of Scotch drinks, how to elevate your highball and closed loop practices with Johnnie Walker
- The Tanqueray magical modifiers: This will dive into the world of gin, including the fundamentals of modifiers and the importance of flavor and theatre in the drinks industry.