Bacardi Global Travel Retail has revealed the three finalists for the 2018 Bacardi Legacy Global Cruise Cocktail Competition.
The winner of the competition, now in its 13th year, will go on to compete in the world finals in Mexico City, April 2018.
The three finalists were selected based on judging of their original Bacardi rum cocktail recipe, especially created for the competition with either Bacardi Carta Blanca, Bacardi Oro, or Bacardi Ocho Años as a base.
Dayonel Dueñas Gomez (Carnival Cruiselines)
Colombian native Dayonel has been in the bartending profession for five years. He loves to share his combined passion for mixology and gastronomy in original cocktail experiences for cruise guests on the Triumph. The inspiration for his Mamita Chula is fuelled by his mother’s influence in building strong family ties and the importance of food and flavours in creating a family legacy across the generations. Dayonel said: “Passion, love and devotion are at the heart of my recipes; I am really aware of creating a new legacy experience every time I make a cocktail.”
Recipe for Mamita Chula:
1.5 parts Bacardi Carta Blanca, 0.5 parts orange liqueur, 0.75 parts apple cider syrup, 0.5 parts lime juice, one part carrot juice, fresh rosemary to garnish.
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker full of ice. Shake and strain into a rock glass of ice. Top with crushed ice and garnish with dry orange zest and baby carrot with rosemary.
Shekar Grover (Royal Caribbean Cruises)
Shekar is a Bachelor of Science graduate in Hotel and Hospitality Management from Gurdaspur in India. Shekar said he has been drawn to the art of mixology and innovation, especially at sea where he can express his love of travelling and discovering new horizons. “As soon as I step behind the counter I have a real sense of belonging,” he noted. “I love nothing more than working out the perfect blend of flavours and satisfying my curiosity, one cocktail at a time, on whether it’s best to muddle or to shake. The Royal Legacy is inspired by the Old Fashioned, one of the all- time classics, a great drink which speaks for itself.”
Recipe for The Royal Legacy:
1.5 parts Bacardi Ocho Años, one part sweet vermouth, one part Martini Bianco infused with dates, two dash chocolate bitters, two dash plum bitters, skewered dates to garnish.
Method: Infuse dates with Martin Bianco and keep aside for a couple of hours in a small batch. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and top up with ice. Stir well until and double strain into a rock glass over a thick cube of ice. Garnish with skewered dates on the side and a twist of lemon.
Andrej Malic (Celebrity Cruise Line)
With a long-time passion for craft cocktails and the mixology profession, Andrej started bartending in 2008, joining Celebrity Cruise Line in 2012. He has since reached the finals of several bartending contests. The inspiration for his Paloma Rica came from his visit to the Bacardi distillery in Puerto Rico. He commented: “I wanted a modern, rich carbonated twist on a classic Paloma Cocktail and the flavour profile of Bacardi Ocho Años is the perfect base.”
Recipe for Paloma Rica:
1.5 parts Bacardi Ocho Años, one part pink grapefruit juice, 0.5 parts fresh lime juice, one part agave syrup, one dash chocolate mole bitters, grapefruit zest and edible rose petal to garnish.
Method: Shake and chill all ingredients before straining and carbonating. Serve in a chilled Champagne coupe with garnish.
Bacardi Global Travel Retail International Key Account Manager (Cruise) Zachary Sulkes said: “As the Bacardi Legacy Global Cruise Cocktail Competition comes around each year, we are always blown away by the increasing standards of professionalism and the sheer ambition amongst the cruise bartending community to keep developing their craft. Many leading cruise operators share our energy and commitment to this competition as an aspirational benchmark for their bartenders. No other brand or spirits company has engaged more with the cruise industry than Bacardi and we are really proud of how, with these cruise partners, we are collectively recognising and developing up-and-coming talent, which in turn continues to elevate the on-board drinking experience.”
The next stage of the competition sees finalists embark on a three-month promotional campaign to publicise and build support for their drink ahead of the cruise finals in Miami in February 2018. The winner will then go on to compete in the global finals in Mexico City in April 2018. Each of the three finalists receives US$1000 and a trip to Miami for the cruise finals. The winner will receive a further US$4000 and a trip to Mexico City for the global finals.
