Over the summer, the final of the World Class Irish Bartender of the Year competition took place at the Taste Of Dublin and Carl took the crown.
Diageo Reserve World Class is one of the biggest drinks companies in the world and oversees the likes of Roe & Co, Tanqueray, Ketel One and Bulleit. Now in over 60 countries, it has supported, educated and inspired over 250,000 bartenders.
The Bartender of the Year competition brings together the best bartending talent from around to globe to decide who will be crowned the world’s best bartender.
This is the second year in a row that a Cask bartender took the crown. Carl's mentor and colleague Andy Ferreira was the previous winner of the Irish finals in 2017 and competed in Mexico City last year.
The competition will run from 5-9th October.
It's a four-day challenging competition where Carl's bartending knowledge and skills will be put to the ultimate test when he goes up against the world’s finest bartenders.
In preparation for the finals, Carl said, “Since I've won the Irish final, I've been getting deadlines for submissions of drinks. A lot of research on brand knowledge, presentation and time at the bar is required. I've just been planning, studying and trying to rest before the big day.”
It seems he also has a few Irish tricks up his sleeve to wow the judges:
"Expect to see a lot of Irish hospitality from me. I'll be backing that up with some killer drinks using Irish flavours. In our bar in Cask we forage a lot of our ingredients instead of importing them, to keep flavours fresh and in keeping with the seasons. We'll definitely be using these in our drinks."
We can't wait to see what creation Carl will come up with to try take the top spot.
Exciting times ahead, we wish him the best of luck!
