Santos Mercedes Enriquez will compete for World Class Bartender of the Year title this August
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Celebrity Cruises’ Santos Mercedes Enriquez was named as Diageo Global Travel’s best cruise line bartender at a World Class final held on 9 July at the Diageo 396 Bar in Miami, US.
Santos, a 38-year old Peruvian who works onboard Celebrity Equinox, beat two other finalists and more than 5,000 other cruise line bartenders from Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises to win the title. Each of the finalists were judged according to their showmanship, creativity and bartending knowledge and Santos won with his signature ‘Violetta Falernum’ cocktail, which featured Tanqueray No.Ten Gin.
The judging panel included Enrique de Colsa, master distiller for Tequila Don Julio; Spike Marchant, World Class Global Brand Ambassador; Erik Lorincz, World Class Bartender of the Year 2010; and Julio Cabrera, managing partner of The Regent Cocktail Club Miami.
“I’m beyond excited and humbled to have won the Diageo Global Travel Final and the incredible opportunity to represent Celebrity Cruises and all cruise line bartenders at the grand final of the world’s largest cocktail competition,” Enriquez. “This has been a life-changing experience so far, and I’m really looking forward to Cape Town.”
Santos will now represent Diageo Global Travel and compete against 50 of the world’s best bartenders at the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year Grand Final in Cape Town, South Africa, this August.
“We are very proud of Santos’ win at last night’s highly anticipated competition,” said Cornelius Gallagher, associate vice president of Food and Beverage Operations at Celebrity Cruises. “As a star member of our team onboard Celebrity Equinox, Santos delights our guests and really represents the rich and popular modern luxury experiences our vacationers can enjoy when they sail with us. We wish him the best of luck in Cape Town and are confident that his dedication and skill will be eye-opening.”