G’Vine Hosts 2nd Annual Gin Connoisseur Program 2011

gvine.jpg

EWG Spirits & Wine has announced that the portfolio’s artisan gin brand, G’Vine Gin, is hosting its 2nd annual Gin Connoisseur Program 2011, the quest for the most gifted gin-loving bartender in the world. The bartenders will not only be challenged with the basics of cocktail creation, but they will also have to display some academic elements that have set this competition apart from other bartending showdowns.

This year’s competition includes a well-thought-out roster of ancillary events and interactive web components such as an initial online examination process, on-premise cocktail placement and a written examination to test the gin-centric bar smarts of all participants. The competition will also debut the addition of the GCP “Preliminaries,” a critical series of rounds that any entrant can attend in order to be considered for the grand finale. They will be held across the UK, the United States, Canada, Spain, and Germany.

All of these activities are part of the process to select 15 global finalists who will compete during the weeklong GCP grand finale in France from June 13th-17th. In France, the finalists will share cocktails and camaraderie with GCP mentor Gaz Regan in the French countryside, as well as run their own bar at the G’Vine Summer Ball in Cognac. The winner will get worldwide recognition from the brand and its followers as the leader in gin Mixology.

“During our 2nd year of seeking talented gin-obsessed bartenders, we are excited by the growth and evolution of the G’Vine Gin Connoisseur Program,” said Audrey Fort, EWG Spirits & Wine’s Marketing and Business Development Director. “The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Traditionally Unconvetional’: and the goal is to offer many unconventional opportunities for the international bartender to enter. Once again, G’Vine is determined to go to great lengths to unearth the most talented gin mixologists in the world.”

The winning bartender will receive several prizes other than the title of “G’Vine Gin Connoisseur,” such as $3,000, a platinum Vine Flower pin, a year’s supply of G’Vine for their bar and the opportunity to choose an intercontinental bar tour in either London or New York, visiting some of the best gin bars in the world.