In mid-July 2023, the German final of the 8th The Bartenders Society Competition was held in the Stairs Bar Berlin. Andrey Bartlett from Hamburg’s The Local Bar impressed with his cocktail “Flipside” and will represent Germany in the international final in Paris in November.
The annual competition is initiated by the Saint James and Marie Brizard brands. The theme of this year’s challenge was »Bring a local twist to a classic cocktail«. The aim was to reinterpret a classic from the cocktail world through local influences. A large number of bartenders participated. In the finale in the Stairs Bar in Berlin, the eight selected finalists not only had to convince the renowned jury with the taste and appearance of their cocktails. The creativity, the preparation, a charming presentation and the story of the participants about their cocktail also played a role. The winner was Andrey Bartlett, The Local Bar, Hamburg. He was convinced with his cocktail “Flipside” and with his performance. The Germany winner thus secured his place in the international final in Paris in November, where he competed against finalists from 17 countries.
The jury of the 8th German The Bartenders Society Competition was made up of three top-class personalities from the bar scene: Maria Gorbatschova (Green Door, Berlin), Lukas Motejzik (Zephyr, Munich) and Christian Gentemann (Head of Education & Community DBU). The trio was enthusiastic about the great participation and creativity of the participants. Due to the extremely high level of the bartenders, the jury found the decision visibly difficult, which is why they awarded two 2nd places for the first time this year. Andrey Bartlett from The Local Bar in Hamburg was followed in second place by Christian Granert, Maritim Dresden, with his cocktail “August der Starke” and Diego Aspra, Franzotti Bar Berlin, with his “Apapacho”.
“The level was extremely high this year,” sums up Graeme Law, German Brand Ambassador Saint James and Marie Brizard. »We had the privilege of working with exceptional bartenders who gave their classics a new twist in an impressive way. With his maritime-inspired take on a flip, Andrey created a full-bodied yet light and refreshing cocktail that wowed us all.
»Flipside« – the winning cocktail by Andrey Bartlett:
35ml Saint James VSOP
20ml Marie Brizard Elderflower
40 ml homemade flip syrup with Ratsherrn Pilsner
12.5 ml verjuice
2 dash 15% saline solution
100 ml soda water
