June 5, 2014 · Team HG
On Monday, October 6, the first Northern Netherlands Cocktail Championship will take place during the Groninger Horecabeurs 2014. The competition is an initiative of Joris van Berkel of Horeca Groningen in collaboration with distiller and bar manager Lennart Deddens of Mofongo’s Distillery in Groningen. Twelve participants will compete for the coveted Golden Cocktail Shaker in the Martinikerk.
In recent years, a beer tapping and a barista competition have already been held with great success during this hospitality trade fair. Now that cocktails are becoming more popular in the northern provinces, Van Berkel felt the time was ripe for a cocktail championship. “The standard of the hospitality industry is constantly rising, and that is why it seemed interesting to me to let people compete against each other in a fun way across multiple hospitality sectors.” The British beverage giant Diageo, owner of Tanqueray and Johnny Walker among others, agreed to act as the main sponsor.
The event is hosted by 30-year-old Deddens. After living and working in various prominent cocktail bars in Belgium for five years, he returned to Groningen last year to work at Mofongo’s Distillery. The opportunity to distill in the in-house distillery was the reason for him to start working in the North again. As a bartender, he has since gained national recognition and will compete in the final of Diageo World Class Netherlands on Tuesday, June 10. The winner will represent the Netherlands at the world final in London later this year.
Starting this coming Monday, June 9, participants can register at www.cknn.nlThe competition will be overseen by a jury of professionals who have all more than earned their stripes in the field of cocktails.
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