UMHLANGA barman, Trace van der Merwe, is once again out-mixing fellow mixologists from around the province. He was recently named the regional winner of the World Class South Africa competition.
To earn the title, the 24-year-old had to create two unique cocktails. For the first he had to develop a recipe using bourbon whiskey. In line with the theme of the first challenge, ‘Bottled Frontier’, the competitors also had to come up with a story explaining the mystery behind the disappearance of Augustus Bulleit, who created a modern brand of bourbon.
Van der Merwe’s ‘Shrouded in Mystery’ incorporated fresh fruits, litchis, orange, lemon and pickle juice as well as cinnamon and cloves. The delicious concoction was served in two vintage bottles and a wooden chest.
For the second challenge, the competitors had to create a beer-based drink. Van der Merwe opted to use a pale ale. He linked the theme of the drink to his grandparents. To represent his grandfather, who was and Englishmen with a love of beer and coffee, he used the ale and coffee liqueur along with grape and pineapple juice. The presentation décor of his creation represented his grandmother, who loved her garden.
In February last year, Van der Merwe was crowned Heineken’s Best South African Bartender and in June he and fellow mixologist, Jody Francis (29), out-mixed dozens of other hopefuls for the top spots at the World Class Bartender of the Year regional finals.
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