Judges Ian Cox and Geeta Vora with their Absolut gift packs
Premium spirits brand Absolut Vodka has kicked off its second professional mixology competition, an annual challenge seeking to unearth the city’s top professional mixologist.
Borne out of the desire to create a wonderful array of flavors, the Absolut Vodka mixology challenge will be about rewarding creativity; a dominant ABSOLUT Vodka flavour, an interesting name and a story behind each cocktail created.
Speaking in Nairobi, Pernord Ricard’s Marketing Manager Wanjiru Njenga, noted: “The challenge is all about creativity; a dynamic personality, an eye for the obscure, a finger on the pulse of trends and ultimately bringing ABSOLUT Vodka to life.”
She further highlighted “ABSOLUT Vodka is associated in the world over with artistry in mixology as well as being an innovator in the cocktail industry. We want to share this passion here and use it as a platform to reward the skills within the industry and to raise the standards”. Said Ms. Njenga.
This year, the competition has been zoned into three categories;
Hotels Category: 22nd October 2013, Sankara Nairobi
Ngong Road Bars Category: 5th November 2013, Sierra Brasserie
Westlands and Town Bars Category: 19th November 2013, Galileo Lounge
Winners from each category will head to the Grand Finale, which will be hosted at Mercury Lounge, Westlands on 10th December 2013. This year’s winner will receive a cash prize of KSH 100,000 as well as a fully paid trip to train with globally re-known mixologists at the ABSOLUT Vodka headquarters in Sweden.
The runner up and third place will receive a cash prize of Ksh50,000 and 25,000 respectively. In an interesting twist this year, ABSOLUT Vodka will host a media cocktail challenge at the Grand Finale. Media personalities will be invited to battle it out by creating their own favourite ABSOLUT cocktail for a grand prize. The mixologists will be expected to get through to the judges hearts and minds by showcasing their prowess in smoothness of preparation, the workspace, smell and taste, and mixology consistency in three minutes.
The aim is to not only get people to understand the level of skill involved but also to show them the ease with which ABSOLUT Vodka can be personalized to suit each person’s taste.
During last year’s inaugural competition, Yvonne Wairimu from Mercury Lounge charmed the judges with her signature cocktail “Hidden Secrets” crafted from ABSOLUT Citron, three basil leaves, ginger syrup, lime juice, amaretto, disarrono, and ginger ale.