The U.S. Country Final competition for the Diplomático World Tournament on January 12th at DSWE HQ in New York City. Six bartenders will compete for the chance to represent the U.S. in April at the World Final in Venezuela. The judging panel is set to include esteemed spirits experts Dale DeGroff, aka King Cocktail, and Leo Robitschek, beverage director at the NoMad bar.
The event will bring together winners from each of the five qualifying rounds and a wild card entry:
Roberto Rosa from The Plaza, New York City, “A Hop, Skip and a Jump”
Alex Renshaw from Drumbar, Chicago, “Sky’s The Limit”
Ryan Gannon from Cure, New Orleans, “Little Boots”
Nick Meyer from Brilliantshine, Los Angeles, “Chimpin’ Aint Easy”
Sam Treadway from Backbar, Boston, “Hipster School Teacher”
Megan Bardoe from Oak Tavern, Miami, “Amor y Amargo”
As in the qualifying rounds, cocktails will be judged across several categories including Presentation, Taste, Originality and Technique. “Everyone in the regional qualifying rounds did an outstanding job of creating a cocktail that showcased the unique attributes of Diplomático Rum,” says Diplomático World Tournament MC and award-winning mixologist, Tad Carducci. “The styles of cocktails were as diverse as the cities where the events took place… I was overwhelmed by the professionalism, creativity and passion for bartending that the competitors brought to the table,” he added.
More than 60 bartenders from across the country competed in the qualifying rounds for the chance to become the US Ambassador at the World Finals in Venezuela and take home the grand prize. “From what I’ve seen personally, this is going to be a very difficult competition,” says Nino Curbelo, Diplomático North American Export Manager. “The amount of talent that will be represented at the U.S. final is incredibleand we’re pleased to be working with some of the brightest bartenders in the country,” he added.
For more information on the Diplomático World Tournament please visit http://www.diplomaticoworldtournament.com/.
