By
Rebecca Gibson |
Four cruise line bartenders will participate in the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Travel cocktail competition semi-final in Miami, US, on 12 June.
Chosen from 5,500 onboard bartenders, the four semi-finalists have taken part in a series of heats during the Diageo Reserve World Class training programme. This year’s competition has seen 15 times the number of bartenders taking part from the four cruise lines and 400 participants in 2013.
Mario Seijo, World Class Global Winner for Latin America & Caribbean 2013, led this year’s training programme and helped to coach bartenders in showmanship and the latest cocktail-making trends. Seijo will be joined by Enrique De Colsa, master distiller at Don Julio Tequila, and Arturo Savage, one of Diageo’s Senior Reserve Ambassadors, on the judging panel on 12 June.
“The Diageo World Class programme has provided cruise line bartenders with advanced mixology training in the most cutting-edge cocktail trends,” said Seijo. “It takes their craft to the next level, unlocking amazing onboard fine-drinking experiences for passengers.”
Representing Norwegian Cruise Line, O’Neil Anant James Pandit will take part in the semi-final for the second consecutive year and serve ‘Botanical Waves’. Carlos Lintag, bar supervisor for Princess Cruises, will serve ‘ABCD: Amazing Bartender Cocktail Drink’, while Shekhar Grover, lead bartender on Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas, will serve ‘French Royale’. Agus Gandu Adyana, flaring bartender on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Century, will make ‘Don Spicy Mangorita’.
The final will take place in London, UK.