With two days of competition now under their belt, the 48 bartenders in the Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS™ Global Finals 2014 started day three with mixed feelings; excitement at the chance to create three iconic cocktails at one of London’s most premium bars, combined with a dash of trepidation as today they faced the first elimination that would see 48 cut to just 16!
The morning began with the Five Star Challenge, a trail which saw the group split across five iconic destinations, including The Langham, The Savoy, The Edition, The Connaught and The Dorchester. At each bar the finalists had the chance to take the helm and create three classic cocktails, each with their own personal twist, which must then be presented to one of three judges to score.
Once they’d relinquished ownership of the bars, the 48 finalists headed to the Shaw Theatre at the Pullman Hotel, London, the location for the first elimination of the 2014 contest. Supporters and media from around the world gathered in the auditorium, as the finalists made their way through the crowds and took to the stage in three defined groups.
The Final 16!
Anticipation filled the air as judges Spike Marchant, Steve Olsen and Julie Reiner took one last moment to confirm their final decisions before announcing that the following contenders had delivered the most exceptional serves to see them through to the next stage:
Anton Velich, Slovakia:
Jan Liska, UAE
Grant Sceney, Canada
Charlie Ainsbury, Australia
Ahmed Yahi “Mido”, France
Le Thanh Tung, Vietnam
Claudio Perinelli, Italy
Kaori Kurakami, Japan
Leroy Soumokil, Netherlands
Jeffrey Chang, Taiwan
Peter Chua, Singapore
Hardeep Rehal, Denmark
Hannah Van Ongevalle, Belgium
Charles Joly, USA
Giacomo Giannotti, Spain
Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn, Thailand.
The top 16 then had to quickly compose themselves, as soon after the announcement it was time for the next challenge, ‘Cocktails and the Written Word’ which required them to combine writing and mixology with literary inspired cocktails.
To see photos of what’s been happening in the competition, click here.