Joburg mixologist wins cocktail challenge

Angostura held its Global Cocktail Challenge South Africa Nationals at Newscafe in Newtown to give one lucky contestant the chance to win a trip to Trinidad and Tobago, where they will compete for great prizes and the title of best mixologist in the world.

Seven mixologists from across the country were selected to take part in the finals, during which they needed to create two original drinks, one with Angostura Orange Bitters – which is not yet available in South Africa – and the other with at least five drops of Angostura Aromatic Bitters.

The seven contestants were given seven minutes to create their two drinks, during which time they were also required to explain what ingredients they were using and why.

They were also allowed to use homemade ingredients as long as they could explain how the ingredient was made.

Vanessa Nel, the marketing manager of Angostura, explained why the company has been holding these worldwide competitions. “Angostura is the company that made one of the oldest cocktail ingredients – in fact, if you read up on on the history of cocktails, the first one actually had bitters in it, and the definition of a cocktail is an alcohol mixed with bitters,” she said.

“So it has a long and illustrious history and they want to embrace that and encourage bartending and mixology communities.”

The panel of judges was made up of experienced, professional mixologists from South Africa, namely Kurt Schlechter, Dominic Walsh and Gareth Wainwright. When it came time to choose the winner, they were astounded at Batista’s creations.

He is a mixologist at The March Hare, a bar situated in the basement of the Museum of African Design in Maboneng.

He will travel to Trinidad and Tobago where he will compete against a number of other mixologists from across the world.

Details: angostura.pr.co/