Diageo pushes on-trade cocktail sales with competition launch

Published: 24 September, 2008

Diageo Reserve, the luxury drinks division of Diageo, has launched a nationwide search to find Britain's best bartender and push sales of its cocktail products to the on-trade.

Diageo Reserve, the luxury drinks division of Diageo, has launched a nationwide search to find Britain's best bartender and push sales of its cocktail products to the on-trade.

The drinks giant will use the competition to promote its range of rum, gin, vodka and tequila cocktail products, which include Don Julio tequila and Smirnoff Black vodka in bars.

Each bar that enters the competition will receive bar training from a Diageo Reserve brands ambassador on developing drinks for each product category, and Diageo has set up a Bluetooth facility which alerts customers walking into partaking bars about the competition.

An internal cocktail competition will be held at each bar, with the winning drink and bartender selected on site and put forward to compete in regional finals being held for each of the four categories.

The eventual UK winner will be judged by a panel including Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White, TV mixologist Andy Pearson and Bill Prince, deputy editor of GQ. The UK winner will go on to compete in a global final in July 2009.

Barrie Wilson, Diageo Reserve brand ambassador team manager, said: "The role of the bartender is often overlooked and more and more of the country's best are frustrated that they don't receive the kudos they deserve.

"A first class bartender is the key component of a great night out or a fine dining experience. They have the ability to make a drink that will capture the spirit of the moment and World Class is a great platform to highlight bartending as the artform that it has become."

The global winner will go on to have their own book of cocktails published and be the face of a global campaign to raise the profile of the industry, themselves and their bar.

Those interested in entering the competition should log on to www.reservesociety.com/worldclass.