Gegham Ghazaryan wins world bartender competition in France

PanARMENIAN.Net - A bar in Alicante, Spain, can lay claim to having a world champion barman.

Gegham Ghazaryan, an Armenian bartender from the bar Xandom in Alicante, last week beat all comers in the world title competition in France, and walked away with the title of G’Vine Gin Connoisseur 2011, beating 15 other finalists to win the title of ‘best gin bartender in the world’, EuroWeeklyNews reported.

The competition was organized by G’Vine Gin, and included competitors from many countries. Gegham’s winning creation was called ‘Coupage Floral’, his cocktail especially put together for the competition. For those of you that would like to try something beyond a G and T with ice and a slice, the recipe for this world beating cocktail is : G’Vine Floraison gin, lime and grapefruit juice, cardamom syrup and ginger, and a blueberry reduction.

Then flambé and serve on ice with a vine leaf as a garnish. This original cocktail was served by Gegham with what was termed “fusion tapas”, combining the cuisines of Japan, Spain and France.

The competition was held in Cognac, France, and the contestants went through a meticulous process which included, apart from preparing their own cocktail; a written theory exam; an aroma exam, to produce their own gin distilled from different gins, and a speed test to make five different classic cocktails.