Greek bartender Thanasis Kouziokas won the fourth Gin Mare Mediterranean Inspirations cocktail competition.
The bartender of Groove Cocktail Bar in Greece won eight international competitors at Gin Mare’s competition held in Ibiza, Spain, yesterday.
He also won 4,500 euros and the ambassador position for Gin Mare at up to six events in the next year.
Nico Colic, of the Hotel Rivington & Sons in Zurich, Switzerland, came second, winning 2,000 euros and Spaniard Anna Martinez of Boca Chica came third receiving 1,000 euros.
Kouziokas told Drinks International that he was surprised to win as his competitors were very skillful.
“I’m so excited to have won, having worked so hard for the last 15 years. It was a really good competition and I tried to be calm throughout,” he said.
The judging committee was composed by Gin Mare brand development manager Jorge Balbontin, founder of Drinkable Videos and Hunting Spirits Spyros Patsialos, head bartended of 41 Degrees in Barcelona Marc Alvarez and bartender Oscar Quadrarini.
Balbontin said: “We wanted contestants to know it is not about the brand, or how much they know about gin, it’s about their vision.”
“We don’t want to be another competition. We want to do things in a natural, Mediterranean way.”
“We judged on who understood the Med better.”
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