Cork Man Placed As 3rd Best Bartender In Europe – Here’s Where You’ll Find His Cocktails

Anyone who's worked in a bar in their time will know how tough a job it is.

You've got to be creative sociable and work crazy intense hours.

Last week, we headed over to Berlin for the Diageo World Class Finals. The event saw over 50 countries compete for the winning title as "Best Bartender In The World".

World Class is the world’s largest drinks companies in the world and oversees the likes of Roe & Co, Tanqueray, Ketel One and Bulleit.

Cork man Carl D’Alton represented Ireland and placed as the 3rd best bartender in Europe, and ranked 12th in the world, a serious achievement.

He participated in a series of complex challenges over the four-day final.

A title like this doesn't come easily, each contestant had put in months of preparation so there was some serious competition. Over 10,000 bartenders from every corner of the globe entered the competition which spanned five continents, six months, hundreds of challenges and countless cocktails.

On representing Ireland at the World Class Global Final, Carl said,

“I have had the most incredible journey with World Class this year. I was honored to represent Ireland, competing alongside some of the best bartenders in the world, and to be judged by some of the most iconic names in the industry. To come in the top 3 best bartenders in Europe, and 12^th in the world was something I really couldn’t have dreamt of. I am so grateful to the team at World Class and humbled by their ongoing support. I’m excited to bring back everything I learnt in Berlin, to Cork, and continue this journey.”

The winner was Orlando Marzo of Melbourne restaurant Lûmé.

The top 4 also consisted of: Daniel Warren from Great Britain, Laura Newman from the USA, and Gökhan Kuşoğlu from Turkey.

You'll find Carl in Cask Bar in Montenotte, Cork.

It's a serious spot that specialises in a unique style of crafting cocktails with locally foraged Irish ingredients.

It's situated in a former antique shop in the Cork Victorian quarter and with its stone walls, coloured tiles and a courtyard outside, it's a real treat to have a drink in.

The bar is consistently innovative and they produce a seasonal cocktail menu with changes every 8 weeks - so each time you visit there is bound to be something new for you to sip on.

Some of the best cocktails around.

Just LOOK at them:

This was a great achievement for Carl and we're sure he will go on to brill things in the future.

We'll be sure to call down to Cask for one of the third best produced drinks in Europe very soon!