A bartender from Belfast has won the first regional heat in one of the most prestigious cocktail competitions in the world, BACARDÍ Legacy, the competition which challenges the industry’s top bartenders to create the cocktails that could potentially stand the test of time.
Christopher McQuillan, bartender at Olivers Restaurant, competed with some of Northern Ireland’s top mixologists at The National Grand Cafe & Sixty6 in Belfast where the competition took place. He was announced the first winner of the BACARDÍ Legacy regional heats, impressing the judges with his ‘no.62’ cocktail.
Metinee Kongsrivilai (UK Brand Ambassador for BACARDÍ Rums) commented: “We’re very excited to kick start this year’s competition in Belfast. The calibre of entries has been as high as ever and we are thrilled that we have our first regional winner. Christopher engaged both the crowd and the judges with an inspiration that was personal to him. His drink took a fresh spin on classic combinations, managing to make coriander work as an ingredient with judges who would normally dislike the flavour.”
Christopher will compete in the UK Final in November in Amsterdam. He will be come face to face with five other finalists from across the country for a place in the global final and 10th anniversary of BACARDÍ Legacy in Mexico City, the Latin metropolis fast becoming renowned as a cocktail capital and also home to one of BACARDÍ’s distillery. The global final will take place in May 2018.
BACARDÍ Legacy challenges bartenders to create a ‘legacy’ cocktail with the greatest potential to establish itself as a classic alongside the pantheon of BACARDÍ Legacy cocktails such as the Mojito or Daiquiri. BACARDÍ continues to inspire and challenge the best in the industry to create enduring cocktails throughout the Legacy cocktail competition.
The next regional heat will take place in Edinburgh later today (18th), then Liverpool (23rd) and finally London on the 25th October.
Christopher Mcquillan’s winning recipe for “no.62” can be found below:
60ml Bacardi Carta Blanca
50ml Pineapple juice
20ml Lime juice
15ml Coriander syrup
1 spray of absinthe
Shake all ingredients with ice and serve long over cubed iced in an absinthe rinsed vessel. Garnish with a pineapple crisp and a metal straw.
For more information, please visit: enterbacardilegacy.com
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