iBartend

2013 South African World Class National Finals

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:54:02 -0400

On the 29th and 30th of May, Durban will host the South African World Class National finals. The...

On Wednesday the 8th of May the beautiful venue of “Luna Rossa”...

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:53:00 -0400

KZN Regional Finals Winner Hauroon Haffajee

Judges from left: Joe De Wet, Mark Beegte, Nasham Pillay & Ryan Duvenage.

From left; Jason Andrews (Unity Bar), Patrick Mavundla (Fairmont Zimbali Resort), Hauroon Haffajee (Harveys Restaurant), Kwanele Sydney Mkhize (Oyster Box Hotel) & Steven Saunders (Harveys Restaurant)

Reserve Ambassadors Alex Farnell and Chantelle Horn

On Wednesday the 8^th of May the beautiful venue of “Luna Rossa” in Gateway hosted the 2013 KZN World Class Regional finals. We had 5 contestants that battled it out over a series of different challenges. Only the winner and runner up were guaranteed a spot in the National finals taking place at the end of May.

The competition started at 10am sharp kick starting with the “Mastery Challenge”. In this challenge each contestant had to write an 80 question multiple choice exam. The exam was set to test the bartenders overall category, brand and mixology knowledge which was taught by the Reserve Ambassadors throughout the programme.

Next it was “Cocktails against the Clock” where each contestant had to make 5 drinks in under 5 minutes. The bartenders were judged on style, technique, personality and presentation whilst delivering 5 perfect recipes to the judges.

The final challenge was “Retro Chic” which was all about choosing a classic recipe from the past and putting a modern retro twist on it. The bartenders had 10 minutes to make their classic choice and then the modern twist. This is where the bartenders were able to bring out all the bells and whistles! We had suspended drinks, we had dry ice vapours, we had ice sculptures and we even had orange aromatic hand towels!

Overall it was an incredible day and at the end of it all, there was very little score difference from 5^th to 1^st place. It boiled down to consistency and theatre which is what World Class is all about.

In 1^st place from Harvey’s Restaurant – Hauroon Haffajee (Winning R2000 cash & a spot in the national Finals)
In 2^nd Place from Harvey’s Restaurant – Steven Saunders (Winning R1000 Cash& a spot in the national Finals)
In 3^rd Place from Unity Bar – Jason Andrews (Winning R500 Cash)

Hauroon and Steve will be going up against 2 contestants from Johannesburg and 2 contestants from Cape Town on the 29^th of May. This competition will be taking place at the Endless Horizons Hotel in Durban and will be a 2 day competition. Watch this space for more info!

WORLD CLASS 'Tropical Journey' Results

Sat, 04 May 2013 12:10:28 -0400

The time has come to announce the winner of this months “Tropical Journey” theme and our final...

On Thursday the 28th of March, Ciroc Vodka and Uber Zulu in...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 05:15:54 -0400

On Thursday the 28^th of March, Ciroc Vodka and Uber Zulu in Morningside joined forces to create a White Mansion Ciroc Experience. Uber Zulu have recently joined the RESERVE team as a preferred vendor of the brands.

The night started at 6pm with VIP invited guests only. These guests were treated to complementary Ciroc Serves, decadent zulu sushi and VIP treatment. We had beautiful Ciroc Hostesses which were there to communicate the brands story and to capture guest details onto a database for the Ciroc VIP experience giveaway. This was announced at 11pm and congratulations to Sean Bentley and his girlfriend for winning the prize!

At 8:30pm the doors opened to the public making way for regional DJ’s and head liner Coco Loco. The event had roughly 300 people and as you can see from the images, the décor and setup was luxurious and sexy. A great night all round!

New Bar Manager Wanted at the American Bar, Savoy Hotel

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:38:00 -0400

Well, this opportunity doesn’t come around very often, and I would imagine that the person who gets...

Well today is the day that we announced the winner of the...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 06:01:41 -0500

Well today is the day that we announced the winner of the Johnnie Walker “Bartender Bar-Chef” leg of the WORLD CLASS competition. What an outstanding presentation of skill, enthusiasm, innovation and originality, a massive well done to our top 7 finalists for putting up a very difficult judging session yesterday!

As you know all contestants had to participate in a Whisky category training in which they were introduced to the brands, Johnnie Walker Blue, Gold Reserve & Platinum Label. The training was finished off with an advanced mixology module in which the trainees were shown various molecular techniques to help them with this month’s challenge of “Bartender Bar-Chef”. Each contestant had to submit a recipe containing one of the RESERVE Johnnie Walker Blends either paired with a popular dish or a recipe created using various culinary kitchen techniques. This challenge allowed our local mixologists to go completely out of the box. As you will see from the photos on the WORLD CLASS Facebook page, the day was filled with absolute class and sophistication. The Bar has definitely been raised once again!

But as we all know, we can only have one winner, winning by 85.5% from Harveys Restaurant…

· In 1^st place we have Mathew James Low winning himself R1000 cash, a spot in the regional finals and an addition R10,000 event budget for his venue
· In 2^nd Place was Hauroon Haffajee winning himself R700
· In 3^rd Place was Steven Saunders winning himself R300

I look forward to the next training round of WORLD CLASS (Taking place on Monday the 18^th of March – Venue TBC), of which we will be taking on the challenge of “Classic Gentleman” with the classic malts selection. In this challenge the contestants will have to come up with a recipe that would be enjoyed by a sophisticated gentlemen containing one of the following single malts; Singleton Of Difftown 12 YO, Caol Ila 12 YO, Talisker 10 YO, Lagavulin 16 YO, Dalwhinnie 15 YO or Glenkinchie 12 YO. This will definitely push the bartender’s skills to further heights!

Good luck and see you all soon!

The Diageo Reserve World Class competition seems to be changing...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:26:58 -0500

The Diageo Reserve World Class competition seems to be changing the world of bartending as we know it. For me, it has been truly inspiring to watch as global mixologists adapt to this new era of application and technique. Gone are the days of adding a couple ingredients to a shaker with ice and serve chilled in a glass. Now it’s all about theatre and presentation, and how well you adapt this to your knowledge of the base spirit. I am in a position where it is my responsibility to teach these modern day changes, but I find myself learning more and more every day.

The great thing about theatre with recipe creation is that it opens doors for fantastic themes during competitions and demonstrations. If we look at the competitions taking place around the world; Bacardi Legacy, Diageo Reserve World Class, G’Vine Gin Connoisseur, The Bombay Sapphire Comp, Angostura Bitters Comp, etc. they are all coming up with seriously challenging criteria which puts the bartender’s skills to the absolute max. I am managing the World Class program in KZN, South Africa and the challenges are immense. This month the contestants had to create a recipe that showed there culinary skills and techniques or how well they could pair a Johnnie Walker variant with a food dish. When one looks at all the techniques used in a molecular kitchen, your options become exciting and extremely entertaining to watch. Dry ice and liquid nitrogen are becoming as common in a bar as lemon juice used to be!

I personally think it is fantastic and very rewarding, especially because it is bringing back the passion to the industry. These individuals are no longer considering bartending as a part time filler to get them to the next level, but rather as a destination profession that they take very seriously.

The video attached is something I really enjoyed, and as you will see the bar has been raised!

Enjoy!

Photo

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:58:47 -0500

Well today is the day that we announce the winner of the Don...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 04:08:39 -0500

Well today is the day that we announce the winner of the Don Julio leg of the WORLD CLASS competition. What an outstanding month of skill, enthusiasm, innovation and originality, a massive well done to our top 5 for putting up a very difficult judging session yesterday!

As you know all contestants had to participate in a Tequila category training in which they were introduced to the brand, DON JULIO REPOSADO TEQUILA. The training was finished off with an advanced mixology module in which the trainee’s were shown what was expected of them for the WORLD CLASS competition. Each contestant had to submit a “Signature Serve” recipe containing Don Julio Tequila. This challenge allowed our local mixologists to go completely out of the box. As you can see from the photos attached we had espresso, we had syringes, we had Himalayan Salt crusts, we had elderflower sorbets and we also had sangrita!

But as we all know, we can only have one winner. And as you can see from the points below, winning by 0.3% from the Oyster Box Hotel…

In 1^st place we have Kwanele Sydney Mkhize making a “Gonzalez Café” winning himself R1000 cash, a spot in the regional finals and an addition R10,000 event budget for his venue.
In 2^nd Place we have Mathew James Low from Harveys Restaurant making a “Mayahuels Jestor” winning himself R700.
In 3^rd Place we have Mo Therese from Unity bar making a “Classico” winning himself R300.
In 4^th Place we have Andy Ngbobo from 9^th Avenue Bistro making a “DJ Mango Margarita”.
In 5^th place we have Warwick Flanagan from Harveys Restaurant making a “Don Julio Flower”.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28TH, 2013: Today, WORLD CLASS, the world’s...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:50:40 -0500

MONDAY, JANUARY 28^TH, 2013: Today, WORLD CLASS, the world’s largest and most credible mixology competition, announced the 2013 Global Final will take place aboard boutique Azamara Club Cruise’s ship, Azamara Journey, from 4^th – 9^th July 2013. Each adding their own unique splash of creativity, dash of showmanship and twist of technique, only the 50 best bartenders will be selected to compete at the Global Final for the coveted title of Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year.

Setting sail along the French Riviera in Nice and Monte Carlo, the voyage will include stopovers in some of the Mediterranean’s most iconic and chic destinations including St. Tropez and Ibiza, before culminating in the Catalan capital of Barcelona.

On Friday the 25th of January, Harlequins in Pretoria hosted a...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 02:17:32 -0500

On Friday the 25th of January, Harlequins in Pretoria hosted a sponsored Ciroc Vodka event as their winning prize for WORLD CLASS. As you entered the venue it was clear from the blue neon lights and dry ice vapors that Ciroc was in its playground!

The man who made this all happen was Marcel Vd Merwe, who’s winning recipe was leagues above the rest. His recipe, “The Clooney” was named after famous actor George Clooney, was made with Ciroc Vodka, fresh cucumber, mint, apple, mint ice and home made pomegranate caviar. An absolute master piece which got the attention of every consumer at the event.

Well done to Gareth Wainwright and Warren Wright for setting up such a marvelous evening.

Johnnie Walker has unveiled the first of a portfolio of whiskies...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 03:50:49 -0500

Johnnie Walker has unveiled the first of a portfolio of whiskies that take their inspiration from the travelling heritage of John Walker & Sons. Available only in duty-free stores, the Spice Road pays homage to the global travellers of today.

The brand has long had an affinity for travel: from 1820, the Walker family and their agents travelled the world, navigating their way down the famous trade routes: the Spice Road of Europe and Asia; the Royal Route from Europe to Persia; and the Gold Route of the Americas and the Caribbean, in pursuit of adventures bringing both new business and rich experiences. Their efforts ensured that, by the 1920s, Johnnie Walker had arrived in 120 countries and was being enjoyed on the great railways, luxury ocean liners and early transatlantic flights.

Back in London, close to the shipping houses and docks from which the Johnnie Walker agents travelled the world, Alexander Walker established the Travellers’ Room where his agents would convene to rest, talk strategy and exchange stories and samples from their travels. These colourful tales of exploration influenced the Master Blenders, who began to create different styles of whisky to reflect these exotic stories.

Today, this tradition continues as Johnnie Walker launches a range of whiskies made exclusively for travellers: the Explorers’ Club Collection™. The first three blends in the collection, collectively known as the Trade Routes Series, are inspired by the richness that could be found along the great trade routes.

The first release, Johnnie Walker The Spice Road, is an evocative expression of the vibrancy, aromas and spices that one would have discovered in the thriving markets around Asia. It is a whisky of exceptional smoothness and rich flavour, matured in old oak casks for an intense finish.

“We specially selected whiskies to create a bold blend of intriguing complexity inspired by the richness of this part of the world: there is a spicy zestiness on the nose, balanced by fresh citrus. The smooth, rich and honeyed flavours on the palate, warmed by cloves, ginger and vanilla sweetness, give way to a smouldering finish of the Johnnie Walker signature smoke,” said Master Blender Jim Beveridge.

Johnnie Walker The Spice Road will be available in duty-free boutiques in Europe, the Middle East and Australia this December, before being released globally in other duty-free stores from January 2013.

Jalisco Espresso Glass: CoupeGarnish: Orange ZestPair: White...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 03:38:25 -0500

Jalisco Espresso

Glass: Coupe
Garnish: Orange Zest
Pair: White Lindt chocolate balls

Ingredients:

50ml Don Julio Reposado
25ml Agave Necter
30ml Espresso
Dash of Fee brothers orange bitters

Method: Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with an orange zest. Pair on a white dish with white chocolate.

Johnnie Walker Platinum Label stainless steal ice cubes. Filled...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 06:07:42 -0500

Johnnie Walker Platinum Label stainless steal ice cubes. Filled with Glycol, these little babies will keep your blended malt chilled for hours!

As part of the WORLD CLASS program in South Africa, every month...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:43:24 -0500

As part of the WORLD CLASS program in South Africa, every month there is a outlet incentive of R10000 cash for a customized RESERVE event. In month one of the program, Harvey’s Restaurant in Morningside, KZN was the winner and decided to host some of their premium clientele with an exclusive evening hosted by Johnnie Walker® Platinum Label™.

The idea of the event was to showcase the new variant with an informal whisky tasting followed by some really intricate molecular food pairing and luxury liquid serves. We had live singing from a local artist as well as the new RESERVE recipes which are going into the new WORLD CLASS iPad menu in January.

The event was well attended and gained some great media coverage. Overall it was a successful evening paying tribute to the luxury standards of the outlet and the Johnnie Walker® Platinum Label™ brand itself.

The images were taken by Oliver Twist Productions.

In the month of November the challenge was to create a TANQUERAY...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:31:00 -0500

In the month of November the challenge was to create a TANQUERAY NO.TEN® gin recipe inspired by a classic from the past. Known as RETRO CHIC this concept puts focus on the bartenders understanding trends and styles from the RETRO era, and thus enabling them to understand classic ingredients and vintage styles. In total we received 17 recipes from 7 outlets, all of which were fantastic.

The top 5 contestants/outlets were;

Fairmont Hotel – Hauroon Raffajee making a twist on the classic martini called, “The Three course Martini”
Oyster Box Hotel – Kelly-John Bauwer making a twist on the Negroni called, “The betrayal of the Negroni”
Oyster Box Hotel – Selvan Govender making a twist on the Cosmopolitan called, “The Retropolitan”
Harveys Restaurant – Stephen Saunders making a twist on the Negroni called, “Time Capsule Revolution”
9^th Avenue Bistro – Andy Ngcobo making a twist on the classic Gin Fizz called, “Citrus Gin Fizz”

The panel of judges consisted of;

Ryan Duvenage – Barcode Mobile
Joe De Wet – Livingstons Gastro Pub
Severin Bang – Barcode Mobile
Alex Farnell - Brandhouse

The Contestants were judged in the following areas;

Originality
Expression of the spirit
Theatrical Performance
Brand Knowledge
Aroma
Taste
Interactivity with the consumer
Overall etiquette and confidence

The winner of WORLD CLASS Month 2 is….

Making a “Three Course Martini” …winning himself R1000 cash and a R10,000 WORLD CLASS event budget for his outlet…

Well done to Hauroon Raffajee from the Fairmont Hotel in the Zimbali Resort, A truly WORLD CLASS luxury serve that really showed that you knew what the judges were looking for. This drink was a twist on a classic Martini consisting of TANQUERAY NO.TEN GIN, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth and fresh orange zest served with a side pairing of Grapefruit foam and Juniper & Coriander Infused mini bread loaf. Fantastic flavours and really brought a WORLD CLASS gin to life. WELL DONE.

In second place and winning himself R700 cash, goes to Steven Saunders from Harveys Restaurant in Morningside. His recipe was a twist on the classic Negroni in which he served a homemade sorbet with Campari infused wooden spoons. Amazing!

And in third place, winning himself R300 cash, we have Andy Ngbobo, making a Cucumber and Grapefruit infused twist on the classic Gin Fizz. He also made some really interesting garnish by dehydrating slices of fresh grapefruit in some sugar syrup. Very unique and a great presentation. Well Done.

Watch this space for future developments with WORLD CLASS and see you all in the next few days for next months’ training with DON JULIO REPOSADO tequila. May I also ask those who have not “Liked” the WORLD CLASS SOUTH AFRICA Facebook page to please do so? This will keep you updated throughout the competition.

This is WORLD CLASS launch video from the Johannesburg region of...

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:48:46 -0500

This is WORLD CLASS launch video from the Johannesburg region of South Africa. The event took place at the Rand Club in town. The Bar has definitely been raised!

Check out this awesome clip of the WORLD CLASS launch which took...

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:41:59 -0500

Check out this awesome clip of the WORLD CLASS launch which took place in Cape Town earlier this month. The event took place at a venue called “The Reserve” which is located in the heart of Cape Town. Looks like the heat has been turned up, Durban VS Cape Town VS Johannesburg!

Watch this Space!

Check out this video of the WORLD CLASS launch event in KZN that...

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 07:52:29 -0400

Check out this video of the WORLD CLASS launch event in KZN that took place on Wednesday the 3rd of October at “The Upstairs” venue above Spiga Doro in Morningside. A special thanks to Olivers Twist Productions for making this clip, Fantastic Work!

The first month’s challenge for WORLD CLASS was to create a...

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 05:37:44 -0400

The first month’s challenge for WORLD CLASS was to create a CIROC® Vodka bottle serve for a celebrity of your choice. Each bartender had to supply reason, originality and class to be selected for the top 5. This was announced on Monday. We then went into the trade to have these bartenders make their recipes for a panel of Judges in their own bars. It was a really exciting exercise and the judges were blown away.

The top 5 contestants/outlets were;

Bel Punto – Claudia Lovisa making the “Go Ghetta” for celebrity DJ David Ghetta
Havana Grill – Stephen Ndlovu making the “CIROC Berry Bubbly” topless for the local celebrity Khanyi Mbawu!!
Havana Grill – Nkayiso Masango making the “Green Summer” for the actor/singer/shareholder MR. Sean Combs
Harveys Restaurant – Stephen Saunders making a deconstructed version of a bloody mary called “Mary Mary Quite Contrary” for celebrity chef Reuben Riffel
Fairmont Zimbali Resort – Patrick Mavumbia making a “Nigiri CIROC” for actor/singer/shareholder MR. Sean Combs

The panel of judges consisted of;

Ryan Duvenage – Barcode Mobile
Joe De Wet – Livingstons Gastro Pub
Severin Bang – Barcode Mobile
Mark Beegt – Liquid Concepts
Alex Farnell - Brandhouse

In total we received 23 bottle serve recipes from 7 of the 8 outlets. For the first month of the competition this was fantastic. But like in any competition there has to be one winner! None the less, second and third place will also walk away with monetary prizes. This is why we call it WORLD CLASS!

The Contestants were judged in the following areas;

Originality
Expression of the spirit
Theatrical Performance
Brand Knowledge
Aroma
Taste
Interactivity with the consumer
Overall etiquette and confidence

The winner of WORLD CLASS CIROC® Vodka Month is….

Making a celebrity bottle serve called, “Mary Mary Quite Contrary” for Rueben Riffel…winning himself R1000 cash and a R10,000 WORLD CLASS event budget for his outlet…

Well done to Stephen Saunders from Harvey’s Restaurant in Morningside. A truly amazing bottle serve that really showed you knew what the judges were looking for. The CIROC® vodka came through fantastically and all the elements that you provided were undoubtedly style and professional.

In second place and winning herself R700 cash, goes to Claudia Lovisa from Bel Punto. Her celebrity serve was aimed at international DJ David Ghetta where she really brought the music world to life. Well done.

And in third place, winning himself R300 cash, we have Patrick Mavumbi from the Fairmont Zimbali Resort, making a Celebrity bottle serve for P.Diddy (Sean Combs) whilst combining his theatre with a magic show and a food pairing of Sushi. Well done.

So now we go into month 2 of the competition which is focused all around the Gin category and more specifically the brand TANQUERAY® NO.TEN™. Everyone will go through a training session and learn some new ways to present recipes originating from the 50’s. This month’s theme is called “Retro Chic”. Please see in your trade presenters for more info.

May I also ask those who have not “Liked” the WORLD CLASS SOUTH AFRICA facebook page to please do so. This will keep you updated throughout the competition.