Last week Jameson hosted 180 bartenders from 32 countries at the home of Jameson in Ireland, taking them on a journey from Grain to Glass starting in Cork with the Irish Whiskey Academy, Blending Labs, Cooperage demo, tours of their working distillery, the Global Mix-master final, and finishing up in Dublin with drinks seminars hosted by the Dead Rabbit, Dublin Bar Academy and their friends from the Franciscan Well.

Kenya was represented by Joseph Mwawaka, the winner of Kenya’s Jameson Bartenders competition, who was also accompanied by bartenders Melissa Njiru and Perminus Waiharo to Dublin.

Mwawaka, who started out as a waiter and gradually got interested in bartending, won with a cocktail called “Jamikare” which was inspired by his boss Aleem Ladak of Brew Bistro and Big 5 Breweries. Some of Mwawaka’s signature drinks include classics like the Old Fashion, Sours and Margaritas, which he uses as a base for making his signature cocktails; Simply Awesome, Lemon Grass Martini, Mexxy Nutty Oldie among others.