CHIVAS CELEBRATES THE SKILL OF THE MASTER BARTENDER WITH EXCLUSIVE NEW COCKTAIL COMPETITION – Scotch Whisky News
CHIVAS CELEBRATES THE SKILL OF THE MASTER BARTENDER
WITH EXCLUSIVE NEW COCKTAIL COMPETITION
Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury Scotch whisky, is celebrating the craftsmanship at the heart of bartending with the launch of its first-ever global cocktail competition, The Chivas Masters.
The Chivas Masters sees the iconic brand highlight its rich heritage by challenging the world’s best bartenders to create classic cocktails from four of the great cocktail eras – the Classic Age (1880-1920) which saw the birth of Chivas Regal; the Post War Boom (1945-1965) during which time, Chivas 12 was introduced; the Disco Years (1975-1990) which saw the brand become a truly global icon, and the present modern Age of Revivalism, as Chivas continues to build its reputation as an icon of timeless luxury, renowned for its exceptional quality.
The high level of expertise required from entrants into the Chivas Masters is highlighted by the involvement of world-renowned, award-winning* bartender, Agostino ‘Ago’ Perrone of London’s prestigious Connaught Bar. A previous winner of the World’s Best Bartender award at Tales of the Cocktail, Ago has created an exclusive cocktail in celebration of the Chivas Masters and will also use his unique expertise as a member of the panel of judges during the competition.
The exclusive competition culminates in a two-day grand final, to be held in New York in July which will be judged by a distinguished panel of leading bartenders, past and present, from New York’s bar scene. They will be tasked with judging competitors on various criteria, including their knowledge of each era’s cocktail heritage, their creativity and ability to bring the story behind their serves to life for the judges, as well as the name, appearance and quality of their cocktail creations. The overall winner will be announced at an exclusive ceremony in New Orleans at the world’s premier cocktail festival, Tales of the Cocktail.
Richard Black, Global Brand Director for Chivas Regal, comments: “As one of the only truly global brands that has been present in each of the great cocktail eras, Chivas has a long association with the global on trade. We respect the hard work required to become a highly skilled mixologist, just as bartenders around the world respect the quality of Chivas.
“The Chivas Masters aims to harness this mutual admiration and demonstrate how relevant Chivas remains in today’s global bar scene, over 100 years since it first took the US by storm. We hope that the unique format of the Chivas Masters will inspire the world’s best bartenders to get involved and create a timeless classic cocktail – as timeless as our iconic brand.”
The Chivas Masters UK national final will take place June 5th in London. Over the next few months, heats will be taking place in an additional ten markets, including China, Japan and Chile. Only one competitor from each market will be selected to travel to New York to take part in the grand final in July.
NOTES
About Chivas Regal
Chivas Regal is a truly global brand, selling 4.9 million 9L cases annually in more than 150 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and Americas. The Chivas Regal range is the epitome of style, substance and exclusivity and includes Chivas Regal 12, 18 and 25 Year Old.
*About Agostino Perrone
A native of Italy, Ago has been bartending for 12 years. He moved to London in 2003 establishing himself in the bar scene and meeting some of biggest names in the cocktail industry. After a three year stint as Head Bartender at Dusk, Ago moved to Montgomery Place, serving guests and bartenders from all over the world and in spring 2008, he joined the team at the prestigious Connaught Bar as Head Barman to great acclaim.
During his career, Ago has won numerous awards and his outstanding skill has contributed to the Connaught Bar’s success in many awards over the last six years. Having been shortlisted in 2008 and 2009, Ago finally won the award for Best International Bartender at the internationally renowned Tales of the Cocktail in 2010, the same year that the Connaught Bar was awarded the title of The World’s Best Bar by the same organisation. In 2012, The Connaught Bar was once again awarded, winning the Best Cocktail Bar prize, in small part thanks to Ago.
Ago brings passion and excitement to the bartending community, showcasing new ways to present cocktails, paying attention to even the finest details. When not working in his role as Director of Mixology at the Connaught, Ago travels the world, training bartenders about bar management and cocktail-making. His reputation precedes him with The Daily Telegraph recently calling him ‘The Martini Magician’, in a double page spread about him and The Connaught Bar. Ago’s cocktail recipes have also been featured in respected publications such as The Times, The Financial Times, Vogue, GQ, The Rake, The London Evening Standard and Wallpaper*.
About Chivas Brothers
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.
