Following on from the success of last year’s competition, the World’s Best Martini Challenge is returning to London, and will crown one gin brand as winner at its exciting finale at Oslo in Hackney on Thursday 18th January 2018.
Featuring five new finalists, last year’s winner, three judges, the UK’s finest bartenders and a lot of gin, the event will be a chance for drinks connoisseurs, gin lovers and spirited enthusiasts to decide who should win The World’s Best Martini of 2018.
Founded by Gary Sharp and James Thomas, arguably the country’s biggest Martini aficionados, the pair sampled martinis around the world before awarding Daffy’s Gin as the creator of The World’s Best Martini of 2017. This year is even bigger. Ten gins are competing to be one of the five ‘Contenders’ that will go before a panel of independent judges that include Anna Sebastian, Manager of Artesian Bar at The Langham, Rich Hunt, owner of Mint Gun Club, and Mark Ludmon, editor of Bar Magazine. The judges, along with the always enthusiastic event attendees, will ultimately choose The World’s Best Martini of 2018.
After a year of travel and discovery, co-founders Gary Sharp and James Thomas have narrowed down the gin finalists that passed The Contender’s Challenge Series, an international competition where gin producers from all over the world submit samples of their gin to the official Martini experts. Having tasted gins of all descriptions, Gary and James have shortlisted the initial ten gins that are currently going through the second round of heats.
Featuring boutique brands from all over the UK and Ireland, the gins include Arbikie, Bertha’s Revenge, Conker, Curio, Da Mhile, Kokoro, Lilliput, Pothecary, Salcombe, and last year’s winners, Daffy’s Gin.
Each of these spirits team up with a bar and bartender in order to be scored on both a showcase Martini and a classic Martini. The selected five Contenders and last year’s winner will then compete against each other in the World’s Best Martini Challenge final in January, and have a chance to win The World’s Best Martini glass award, and hold the official World’s Best title for the upcoming year.
Taking place at one of East London’s hottest bars, Oslo, the finale event will be a chance for the Contenders to showcase their two cocktails to an audience of industry names and the gin-loving public. From £15 per ticket, attendees will be able to meet the gin-makers and sample martinis from each Contender gin, ultimately voting for their favourite.
James Thomas says “We’ve had the good fortune and privilege to meet lots of friendly and enthusiastic people, dedicated to bringing all manner of gins to the world. This year’s event is going to be a lot of fun and we can’t wait to see what the audience, as well as our line-up of expert judges, decide is The World’s Best Martini of 2018.”
Current reigning champion, Chris Molyneaux (MD Daffy’s Gin), says – ‘’World’s Best Martini Challenge was a fantastic competition that we are very proud to have ultimately won in 2017. We look forward very much to defending our title again next year.’’5
The World’s Best Martini Challenge
Thursday 18th January 2018
Oslo
1A Amhurst Rd,
London
E8 1LL
Doors open at 7pm, Tickets Priced From £15
@wbmchallenge or http://www.oslohackney.com
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