Bartenders Unite!

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The Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge celebrates its tenth anniversary this year with several SA bartenders in the running.

In 2015, Dino Batista of Molecular Bars entered the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge (AGCC) 2016 and made it all the way to the finals, taking second place overall and the award for Best Rum Cocktail. Then, for the next edition of the challenge, George Hunter of Copper Monkey entered and won the AGCC 2018 national heat moving on to Africa and the Middle East regional final.

This year the biennial event is back, with The House of Angostura calling all South African bartenders to start prepping their winning recipes. The national heat takes place during September, followed by Africa and the Middle East regional segment of the competition in Cyprus in early October, before the grand final in Trinidad and Tobago during Carnival in February 2020.

Every contestant is required to make two cocktails of their own creation in seven minutes or less. The ultimate winner of the grand final will take hope the title of Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge Champion, as well as USD$10 000 and a two-year contract as Angostura’s Global Brand Ambassador.

The competitions are judged by some of the best in the business, with announcements to be made as the competition heats up. In the meantime, below are some of the most recent winning cocktails from local mixologists.

George Hunter

Rum-inspired Orpic

INGREDIENTS

50ml Angostura 7-year old rum
40ml Guava juice
25ml Velvet Falernum
20ml Aquavit
5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

METHOD

Add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard. Double strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill.

Dino Batista

Bitters-inspired Ascension Sunday

INGREDIENTS

37.5ml Mezcal
20ml Medium cream sherry
2 dashes Absinthe
1 bar spoon Muscovado sugar (brown sugar)
Flesh of ¼ grapefruit
4 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

METHOD

Muddle grapefruit flesh and sugar in the bottom of the glass. Combine the rest of the ingredients and add crushed ice. Churn. Pour into a highball glass, top with crushed ice and garnish with a dehydrated grapefruit slice.

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