Gqeberha bartender, Liam Jukes has been chosen as one of 11 bartenders from South Africa who will create, shake, and make their finest cocktails as they compete to be named as the country’s representative in the Diageo’s World Class competition.
Gqeberha is represented by Liam Jukes of Tapas, while Jason Andrews from Liquid Concepts and Richie Nahlaka from Alchemy Bar hails from Durban. The other finalists are, from Johannesburg, Lucinda Zinyemba of Lucy’s Magic, Kelvin Mabaya and Julian Short of Sin + Tax, Thabiso Mabanna of SIP Exclusive, Maynard Boozen from Ethos; and from Cape Town, Mthandazo Mweli from The Drinkery, Rhys Mc Beth from Bar by Rhys and Independent Mixologist Alana Durow.
The contestants will be going head-to-head from July 9 to 12 in Johannesburg to determine who will be crowned the South African winner, and who will represent the country at the Diageo global World Class competition held in Brazil in September.
Diageo SA’s Senior Brand Ambassador, Mealyn Joyce said, “World Class is the world’s biggest and most prestigious bar competition which is on a mission to inspire people to drink better while creating unforgettable experiences. By presenting magical cocktail experiences, we aim to encourage consumers to think about fine spirits in the same way they care about fine dining.
“One drink can change your life.”
The prestigious 2023 judges are chef Wandile Mbaso who has worked at Michelin star establishments, award-winning bar professional Cassandra Eichoff, food writer Neo Notso and World Class SA champion 2022 Joshua Hendricks.
World Class has supported, trained, and inspired over 400 000 bartenders, across 60 countries, for over 12 years, while partnering them with the world’s finest spirits – the Diageo Reserve collection.
Three of the finalists – Mabanna, Mabaya and Zinyemba are graduates of Diageo’s The Hand-Up Mentorship Programme which aims to upskill bartenders through training, while adding diversity and inclusion to those seen behind the country’s bars, with more women and more people of colour.
“Diageo knows that the best performing businesses prioritise inclusion and diversity and we believe it is crucial to create a culture with inclusion and diversity at its heart. Our commitment starts with our people and our aim is to ensure that all our people around the world thrive, by shaping market-leading policies and practices,” said Joyce.
