Diageo’s World Class Cocktail Competition is in full swing. We attended the semi-finals on April 15th and watched 16 of the best bartenders in the country give it all to make it to the final round.
What is World Class?
This year, 2024, Diageo is celebrating 15 years of World Class. This event has been a major inspiration for people worldwide for the past one and a half decades, encouraging them to immerse themselves in the upscale drinking and cocktail culture and consciously engage with the topic of Fine Drinking.
The Initial Call
Every year, Diageo, the organizer of the World Class Cocktail Competition, extends an open invitation to bartenders worldwide. World Class is not just any competition; it’s a platform that elevates the industry’s best to new heights.
The journey commences with two intensive study sessions, during which bartenders are given a glimpse of the products they will be working with. These sessions serve as a test of their knowledge and a chance to assess their competition.
The first step is submitting a recipe that changes each time; this year’s was a 2030 Margarita, inspired by sustainability using Tequila Don Julio Blanco, the premium Mexican spirit.
Semi-Finals
An international jury is selected, and the semi-finalist who meets the criteria moves to this stage. This year’s international judges were Jaime Torregrosa, an international chef from Colombia that owns Humo Negro an Izakaya in Chapinero, and his partner and head bartender Manuel Barbosa, one of the new generation mixologists that are revolutionizing the Colombian cocktail scene. They joined forces with Bruno Ferrari, Senior Reserve Brand Ambassador & World Class Lead for Diageo Perú.
Trial 1. Knowledge
A World Class bartender must know about the spirit, cocktails, and history on a written test representing 25% of the final score.
Trial 2. Blind Tasting
The mixologist has to be able to use his senses to recognize different spirits. The judge gave three different classes to detect the right one, representing another 25% of the final score for those able to determine which was the Don Julio® Añejo Tequila.
Trial 3. Cocktail and showmanship
One at a time, each bartender presented their margarita from the future; they had to prepare it and tell the story to the judge’s panel. The bartender has to be engaging and sound; in this opportunity, he needs to present a sustainable cocktail.
The Final Eight
After eight hours of cocktail tasting, the finalists should have been six, but their skills, presentation, and knowledge secured some of the participants, allowing a final eight:
- Joel Chirinos – Twice winner and owner of Limaq Bar
- Carolín Ruiz -2023 Finalist from Astrid & Gastón
- Mauricio De La Puente from Sastería Martínez
- Frank Alvarado from Sayani Bar
- Manuel Lao from 500 grados
- Rolando Arias from Troppo
- Oscar Figueroa – 2023 Finalist from Rocco
- Luis Alza – 2022 Peru Champion – from Viva Lima Bar
What is next?
From April 22nd to May 5th, the World Class Cocktail Festival will celebrate the bartender’s voice using Diageo’s spirits so the general public can taste their creations.
By the end of June, the World Class National Final will be held, in which one bartender will be selected to compete to represent Peru in the World Class Global Finals from September 9th to 13th in Shanghai, China.
