The winner of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge being held in February 2016 will receive a massive US$10,000 and earn the title of Angostura’s global brand ambassador for the next two years.
The national heats have already started all over the world and the South African heat has been confirmed for 2nd December at News Cafe Newtown, Johannesburg. The carefully selected and very talented bartenders will fight for their place to compete in the global final in Trinidad and Tobago on 7th February 2016.
An incredible panel of renowned judges will grace the national competition to select the lead bartender to represent South Africa in the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2016. Judges include head judge Kurt Schlechter alongside Dom Walsh and Gareth Wainwright.
Meet the judges:
Kurt Schlechter
Kurt Schlechter is a pioneer of the South African bartending scene and has been in the industry for 22 years. Co-founder of the Bartenders Workshop training school and the South African Bartenders Association. Kurt has competed and judged over 50 competitions, including the Legends of Bartending in Las Vegas, and has been an international judge for various trade magazines.
Dominic Walsh
Dominic Walsh, also known as a previous winner of The Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge South Africa Nationalpreviously and the Olmeca Tahona, has always been involved in the hospitality industry. Dom started in the kitchen, where his dream was to be a chef- his passion for creations and mixing liquids led to his bartending break with Liquid Chef mobile bars. After working his way up to manager and style trainer, he decided to open his own mobile bar company. This is where he developed his passion for training and spreading the gospel of bartending.
Gareth Wainwright
Gareth has been bartending for 15 years and has a vast amount of experience in all types of bars from silver service and banqueting to pubs and cocktail bars. Gareth was recruited as a Brand Ambassador for the world’s largest luxury spirits portfolio and afforded him the ability to travel and visit the world’s best bars and bartenders taking in best global practice.
In 2014 he helped open the Landmark cocktail bar, arguably Johannesburg’s best cocktail bar and going on to win numerous bartending and bar related awards.
Currently his new company Bittered Sling is a bar consultancy company assisting in getting bar operators to lift the level of bars in South Africa and abroad.
