An Absolut challenge
BRYANSTON - The global final of Absolut Invite 2015 is just around the corner and Bryanston will play host to the celebration of bar-tending excellence.
The South African final will take place from 14 to 15 April where the leading South African bartenders will compete for a chance to fly the South African flag on behalf of vodka brand Absolut in Ahus, Sweden at The Landmark, in Bryanston.
This is the fifth consecutive year of Absolut Invite, a competition which has grown to become one of the industry’s most challenging competitions, both creatively and academically. Absolut Invite, as the name suggests, is a bartending competition run by Absolut that invites only the world’s top bartenders whom are personally selected and represent some of the best in the business. The concept of the competition is designed to put all the necessary bartending skills needed to the test.
The contestants’ performances on each task will be carefully inspected by an international, renowned and reputable jury including Krister Asplund and Andreas Kunster, during a few short days when everything comes to a head. Countries competing this year include Absolut’s native Sweden, Germany, Russia and South Africa.
The competition has a three-part format where participants’ knowledge, creativity and sensory skills are tested separately. The theme of Absolut Invite 2015 is ‘hand craft of the cocktail’. The theme emphasises elements such as craftsmanship, single estate and traceability. Bartenders will be asked to create one cocktail based on this theme for the qualifying round.
The competition will focus solely on Absolut Elyx, a product that embodies creative mixing.
Contenders will be judged according to these credentials:
- The taste and scent of the cocktail
- How well the bartenders interpreted the theme
- The creative presentation of the drink
In the knowledge section, the bartender has to answer 20 questions not only about Absolut Elyx but also about the bartending industry which provides a better understanding and base to be creative in their profession.
Finally in the sensory element of the competition the bartenders will be challenged to identify the ingredients and raw materials of a variety of different drinks. This is to see how they work with flavour combinations and the art of balancing various ingredients in their drinks.
On 25 May the winner will be announced in Ahus in the south of Sweden and they will receive an unforgettable trip to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in the summer of 2015.
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