World Class Bartender of the Year, Manabu Ohtake, demonstrating his prowess after being crowned
Japan’s Manabu Ohtake from The Tower’s Bar has been feted as Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year. We were present at the jubilant awards ceremony in New Delhi, where the Regional and Challenge winners were also announced.
Competing against 33 of their peers and judged by some of the most revered names in the industry – including legends Dale DeGroff, Salvatore Calabrese, Peter Dorelli, Gary Regan, Hidetsugu Ueno and Daniel Estremadoyro – each winner demonstrated deftness of hand, ingenuity, skill and knowledge of spirits in the pursuit of liquid perfection.
Congratulating the winners of the third global Diageo Reserve World Class championship, Rudy Paoli, Managing Director of Diageo Reserve said: “World Class is a truly international celebration of the flair, creativity and skill of the bartender and the appreciation of great spirit brands. It is a pleasure to watch these talented individuals and witness the creation of a new fine drinking era.”
World Class judge Dale DeGroff added: “The title of Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year is the ultimate prize in bartending. It represents the culmination of a year-long search for an individual that personifies modern mixology, complemented by some of the finest spirits ever produced.”
The final included nail-bitingly suspenseful challenges such as a Cocktail Against The Clock challenge, where finalists had to create five Reserve cocktails in five minutes, and the Spice Market challenge, which tested the bartenders’ ingenuity and ability to adapt, by giving them just one hour to pick fresh exotic ingredients from Asian and international delicatessens and markets, to create two contrasting drinks to show off their creativity and inventiveness.
Throughout the Global Final, spirits from the Diageo Reserve luxury portfolio – Ketel One® vodka, Cîroc® vodka, Tanqueray® No.TEN™ gin, Don Julio® tequila, Zacapa® rum and Johnnie Walker® Gold Label™ and Blue Label™ Blended Scotch Whisky – were used across the World Class challenges to create the most exceptional rituals, perfect serves and fine drinking experiences the industry has seen.
The full list of winners:
GLOBAL WINNER 2011:
GLOBAL DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011: MANABU OHTAKE, TOWER’S BAR, JAPAN
REGIONAL WINNERS 2011:
ASIA PACIFIC DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011: MANABU OHTAKE, THE TOWER’S BAR BELLOVISTO, JAPAN
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011:JESUS CABRERA, MEXICO
EUROPEAN/MIDDLE EAST DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS BARTENDER OF THE YEAR 2011: HEINZ KAISER, DINO’S AMERICAN BAR, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
CHALLENGE WINNERS 2011:
SPICE MARKET: MICKEY LEE, WOO BAR, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
ASIAN FOOD PAIRING: THORSTEN SPUHN, MODERN MASTERS BAR, ERFURT, GERMANY
COCKTAILS AGAINST THE CLOCK: HEINZ KAISER, DINO’S AMERICAN BAR, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
CLASSIC AND VINTAGE DRINKS WITH A TWIST: HEMANT PATHAK, BLUE BAR, DELHI, INDIA
COCKTAIL THEATRE AND THE STARS: ALBERTO PIZARRO, BOBBY GIN, BARCELONA, SPAIN
GENTLEMEN’S DRINKS AND FANCY TIPPLES: MARK HUANG, MARQUEE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE, TAIPEI, TAIWAN