How to win a Cocktail Competition  

© DBU e.V. / Michael Meyer 

Tips & Tricks from Lukas Motejzik and Drew Fleming

How do I win a cocktail challenge? How do I apply properly? How do I prepare? How do I deliver a perfect presentation for the jury? And what’s in it for me at the end of the day? So many questions sure to be on the lips of many a young bartender. And the answers to all this came care of an exciting workshop held as part of the “Junior Akademie” of Deutsche Barkeeper-Union e.V.

“HOW TO” is the name of the workshop series offered by the Deutsche Barkeeper Union e.V. (DBU) that offers a deep dive into defined, bar-specific content in cooperation with experts – and forms part of the Education offerings of the stakeholder association (read more about this in the interview with Christian Gentemann, Head of Education & Community at DBU). “HOW TO Win a Cocktail Competition” was the motto of the evening at Berlin’s Hotel Provocateur in late April: a dozen up-and-coming bar talents from all over the country had travelled to the German capital for this year’s “Junior Akademie”. And the packed, 3-day programme kicked off with this exciting topic. After all, it is especially (if not exclusively) young bartenders who view cocktail competitions as an opportunity to drive their career, make valuable contacts as well as get to know new places, people and bars.

Hosts: Lukas Motejzik and Drew Fleming

But – just how do you win a cocktail competition? To provide answers to this crucial question the DBU e.V. – jointly with its sponsoring partner The Blend, Beam Suntory’s continuing education and inspiration programme for the bar world – invited two personalities who really know their stuff: Lukas Motejzik, of Zephyr Bar fame in Munich, who has already won several competitions in his career including the German finals of the “Bacardi Legacy” and the “Chivas Masters”. And Drew Fleming hailing from the Isle of Man, who won the “50 Best Bars Blend Scholarship” last year, where he prevailed over an impressive 750 fellow contestants. In a presentation for his protégés, Motejzik made one thing clear above all else: it takes many details to form a successful whole – ranging from the competitions you choose to enter through to your preparation and presentation in front of the jury.  

Be selective

Since there are so many competitions and preparing professional entries is time-consuming, he advised the first question should always read: “Do I have the time for this – on top of the daily and/or nightly running of my bar? His tip is to enter fewer competitions and also take some breaks and turn down some invitations so you can focus on each competition in more depth. He also reminded his audience that competitions of this kind are – as a rule – organised by brands seeking cooperation (or rather marketing and advertising) with participants. They don’t like it when someone has their “hand in all pies” including those of their competitors, he added.

Lukas Motejzik, Bar Manager of the "Zephyr Bar" in Munich (left), and Drew Fleming, Winner of the "50 Best Bars Blend Scholarship" 2022 (right), shared their experiences with the young participants of the DBU workshop.

© DBU e.V. / Michael Meyer 

Proper application

Don’t apply last minute, says Motejzik – after all, you don’t devise a new bar menu overnight either – but take your time and prepare for it. With high-quality visuals/videos (more on this later) and a drink that involves some storytelling in line with your personality. He then told Junior Akademie participants how he once entered a drink refined with a syrup made of black olives and milk. He came up with the idea after spotting a recipe for pannacotta from black olives in a magazine – and he only found the magazine because he’d stupidly forgotten his earphones on a trip and picked up the magazine instead. An anecdote that made the jury members laugh and intrigued them for that very reason. The Munich-based bartender mentioned many other relevant aspects – from a sound choice of ingredients (each one of them plays a role in your story), and their availability (he himself once hit dire straits after finding out in the world finals that grapefruit isn’t routinely available in Puerto Rico) to a striking name for your cocktail.  

Perfect performance

Mixing in front of your guests at your own bar and mixing in the presence of a jury at a competition – are worlds apart. At your bar there’s background noise and music, people are talking, relaxed routine. In a competition all eyes are on the contestant. As a rule, there’s absolute silence. And then? “You’re the showmaster,” explained Motejzik coming straight to the point. In other words: speak up, be present from the outset. Don’t leave any awkward pauses – unless they’re there for added drama. Tell your story while preparing the drink – not while shaking (because people will clap, a nice tradition at competitions). Be chic and well-groomed (showmaster!), work cleanly and stick to the time limits (unlike many a TV showmaster in the good old days). This works if you keep practicing – confirmed the “Zephyr” owner who recalled pulling many an all-nighter watching Hollywood movies and whose team regularly takes part in competitions.

Edgy drinks!

Last but not least, a selection of his tips for the perfect competition drink:

• It should “be edgy” and make a statement
• Verbally prepare the jury for the taste (e.g. it is deliberately bitter or sweet)
• Choose a sexy colour of liquid, ensure filling heights are the same for all drinks (frequent mistake)
• Uniform garnishing, should be attractive and make sense (explain why)

His parting shot: “Join in! It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it: I’ve got to know many cities and countries, exciting people. It’s insanely inspiring!” 

Career springboard

Drew Fleming sees it exactly the same way: “A competition is a springboard for your career”. This young man, who lives on the idyllic Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and works in the bar Kiki Lounge in the island’s capital Douglas (population 26,000), entered the first edition of the 50 Best Bars Blend Scholarship competition in 2022 – alongside 750 others – and ended up winning. His prize was two two-week stints at two of the world’s most prestigious bars – Ago Perrone’s Connaught Bar in London and Masahiro Urushido’s Katana Kitten in New York. Two completely different personalities, concepts and working methods, but both highly professional meaning he was able to take an enormous amount away with him, said Fleming. 

A twist with seagrass  

Fleming prevailed in the three-stage application process with, among other things, a detailed derivation of his drink and his interpretation of the competition motto “Future Positive”. His competition drink, the “Webb of Skies”, is a variation on the legendary Saturn cocktail and a tribute to its creator Joseph “Po Po” Galsini, a protagonist of Tiki culture who is hardly known today. Fleming’s bar “Kiki” in turn develops this cocktail in a way unleased from clichés and (neo-)colonialisms – with optimism for the future as well as a sense of sustainability in how they work. Fleming’s local ingredient, seaweed, is freshly fished, as his informative and entertaining video shows.

In-depth research

Because the four building blocks – drink ingredients, personality, storytelling and “future positive” – are intertwined in his case, he made it through to the next round. He prepared long and hard for the in-depth interviews that bar owners Ago Perrone and Masahiro Urushido conducted with him and 24 other Round Two participants. He researched these owners’ careers, personalities and perspectives on bar culture. “Treat it like the most important job interview you’ve ever had,” he advised. And finally, he said, you need to have a true passion for the competition – that sounds logical, but you first have to radiate it, like he’s continued to do this year. By the way, Fleming has remained loyal to his island bar despite many new contacts and offers – the bosses of the small catering outfit that runs the bar have made him a partner. This is what a career move inspired by competition can look like.  

Applications for the “50 Best Bars Blend Scholarship 2023” are still open until 15 May 2023 – internships at Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez’s “Sips” in Barcelona and Jean Trinh’s “Alquímico” in Cartagena/Colombia (and a speaker’s slot at BCB 2022) are up for grabs. 

© DBU e.V. / Michael Meyer