A World Class Competition to find the best mixologist
MIDRAND – It's official: one of Joburg's finest will compete for the chance to mix up some amazing drinks in Mexico City.
Mixology has become an exciting new artisan trade at the forefront of today’s hipster society and talented mixologists are competing for the title of the best.
World Class is the annual competition hosted by Diageo Reserve to find the world’s best bartender. The search for fine drinking experiences and cocktail culture are at the heart of World Class, alongside a passion for discovering the next generation of bartending talent and the latest trends in mixology.
Hosted at Diageo head offices in Waterfall, the World Class Competition 2017’s Joburg leg took place as the top finalists of the contest were chosen and competed in a full day of drink mixing magic.
This part of the competition was held to choose the one person from Joburg who would go on to compete against Durban and Cape Town’s top contenders for the chance to mix up drinks for the world-famous judges in Mexico City.
Read: Joburg mixologist wins cocktail challenge
“World Class is a global luxury drinks programme that is 100 per cent owned by Diageo and features brands from its Reserve portfolio. It exists to make consumers care about what, how and where they drink, and strives to educate people on fine drinking and paired good food,” said Steve Saunders, senior reserve brand ambassador at Diageo South Africa.
“The programme consists of two parts – a trade cocktail competition as well as a very high-end training programme.”
The discerning judges for the Joburg leg – who can definitely handle their alcohol, we might add – were Dominic Walsh, Alex Farnell and Tinashe Nyamudoka.
The Joburg line-up of contestants included a number of familiar faces from the Jozi social scene, including Dino Batista, mixologist at the March Hare based at Molecular Bars. Batista won the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge South Africa Nationals in 2015.
It was Batista, once again, who dominated the bartending challenge, and scored the amazing opportunity to compete in the finals in South Africa and thereafter, Mexico, by winning the Johannesburg leg of the competition.
