Some of the great cocktails we have seen across WFA Grand Slam events.

With Olybet’s Flairmania approaching, now with 25% of the competitors overall score coming down to the cocktail alone, it is clear that it is not just the level of their flair bartending skill that will get them in to those top 10 spots but their all round bartending skill. After all a flair bartender is first and foremost a bartender.

With this in mind we have explored some of the cocktail creations we have seen over the WFA Grand Slam events over the years, there have been many of all shapes and sizes, some served in cereal boxes, others in light bulbs. It is not just the presentation that makes a great cocktail but also the thought behind it and, like a good chef, the excellent balance of ingredients that creates a taste in your mouth you will find it hard to forget…

Kindly provided to us by the bartenders below, have a go and see if you can make these like the professionals.

Emergency Number – Marek Pozslusny at the Cambridge Cocktail Weekend

Recipe

20ml FABBRI Marendry

30 ml Mezcal

10 ml Coffee Liqueur

10 ml Red Vermouth

Grapefruit zest

“What do you do when you see smoke? Most likely you call the international emergency number, which is 112. I have attempted to recreate the smoke by serving this cocktail with dry ice and presented it in 2017 at the Fabbri Cambridge Cocktail Weekend Competition. The link to 112 was the fact that Fabrri had been founded in 1905 which was exactly 112 years ago from the year of the competition. Therefore if you see a smokey cocktail, just call Fabbri!”

 

Sakura – Oliver Deak at the WFA World Series

Recipe

30ml Hibiki

10ml De Kuyper Citroen Jenever

5ml De Kuyper Cream of Banana

5ml Monin Butterscotch Syrup

35ml Home made cherry mulled wine cordial

0.5ml Becherovka Original

Product experience: As Oliver is pouring the De Kuyper Banana he pops a balloon above the cocktail that is filled with flowers, this is to recreate the hanami experience. In Japanese culture the hanami experience is to picnic under a blooming sakura tree, therefore the falling flowers recreate the experience of falling blossom from the sakura tree.

“I made this drink for the WFA World Series, I like to think of cocktails as a piece of art, which can also reflect the person who made the drink. Nobody should be afraid to try something a bit crazy because if it is sold the right way that can move bartending to another level. Expect more of the same from me at the upcoming Flairmania 2018 where I will be attempting to take the judges to wonderland!”

 

Italian Lady – Roman Zapata at the Cambridge Cocktail Weekend

Recipe

25ml Tanqueray Gin

25ml FABBRI Marendry

10ml ODK Pink Grapefruit Puree

12.5ml ODK White Sugar Syrup

25ml fresh lemon juice

Fresh cardamom

“I first came up with the concept of this cocktail back in 2013 whilst working in a well known speakeasy bar in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the history of Argentina that many of the people there are descended from Europeans who ventured over to this part of the world to make a new life during the last 150 years. Argentina was heavily influenced by Italian culture as they used to be the 60% of the population during 1890-1960 . I learned from this cultural heritage and applied it to this cocktail, creating the Italian Lady.”