Skip to playerSkip to main content
CCNTV6
  • 1 year ago

If you appreciate a good drink, then this is right up your alley.
Angostura hosted its annual Global Cocktail Challenge, putting the skills and creativity of bartenders in the country to the test.
One of them will face-off against other bartenders from around the world in 2025.
Reporter Alicia Boucher and Cameraman Devon Parker bring you the highlights.
Transcript
00:00Eight bartenders deemed by Angostura as some of the best of the best in the industry.
00:06Fifteen ml of pineapple juice.
00:11This drink is a modern spin-off to a sour cocktail.
00:18Stirring up two types of cocktails each in a showdown for first place
00:22in the local leg of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge competition.
00:26They got down to business before this three-member judging panel headed by Rakesh Madhu.
00:31Prior to the competition, Madhu told us that the level of the competition
00:35and the selection process have been rising annually.
00:38This year's competition promises a lot of excitement.
00:42Fresh ingredients, working within the concept of sustainability,
00:47very cost-effective cocktails, and I think it's all about displaying and showcasing skill.
00:52So we will be seeing a lot of that this time around.
00:57I think the judges may have their hands a bit full because going over the recipes,
01:03I see bartenders are being very creative this time period.
01:07As for the judging criteria?
01:09Definitely things like aroma, taste, presentation, sustainability is going to be a critical thing.
01:15But I think when you look at the rules, there's a lot of flexibility
01:19where the bartenders can display and showcase their ingredients.
01:23So yes, working fresh is going to be a critical part of it.
01:26Working with the product range is an important part of it also.
01:30But most importantly, it's about presentation, execution, sustainability,
01:35and I think this is where the judging criteria will take effect.
01:38In the mix was a range of Angostura products, including Anubitas.
01:43Six dashes of the 200-year anniversary limited edition bitters.
01:51Each competitor was required to make a spin-off of the Trinidad Swizzle or Swizzle cocktail.
01:57Now for the fun part, swizzling.
02:02And a signature drink.
02:04Executive Manager of Local Sales, Nigel Balcaran,
02:07noted that Angostura is in its 200th year of operations.
02:12This is a very important milestone for Angostura.
02:16200 years, a legacy, the gem of Trinidad and Tobago.
02:20We pride ourselves at Angostura for the brand that we represent.
02:25And I would like you all as Trinidadians, foreigners, wherever you are,
02:30to be our future ambassadors, current ambassadors as well,
02:34because our brand, as I said earlier, is the gem of Trinidad and Tobago.
02:39Madhu's closing words to the competitors.
02:42Don't let a competition be final, it's not the end or be all.
02:46Typically it's a starting point.
02:47I think for all of us, we didn't start off by being competition winners in office competition.
02:53It was a starting point, it should be a learning experience and it should be proofed with the things.
02:57In third place was Jamila Antwine.
03:00Second place went to Kester Beig.
03:03And the man of the moment in first place was Ronaldo August.
03:08August said topping the competition took him by surprise
03:11and he tells us what the event signifies for him.
03:15It's kind of miserable to me because growing up, everyone always had bettas in their home.
03:20Now to be able to represent Trinidad and Tobago at a global stage,
03:25like the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge,
03:28it's just amazing, an amazing feeling right now honestly.
03:32August's win will see him face off against winners from other countries
03:37in the final leg of the challenge, earmarked for 2025 in Trinidad.
03:41As for what he's looking forward to showcasing when that time comes?
03:45The true culture of Trinidad and Tobago, through our drinks
03:48and to show that we are more than what people hear about us.
03:52We are very hospitable.
03:55Safe to say the afternoon ended how it began, on a high, pun intended.
04:00Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
04:07For more UN videos visit www.un.org
Be the first to comment
Add your comment