The Gin Collection Contests

Javier García Vicuña, from Rioja, Alvaro Martín Cuesta, from Cantabria, and Borja Máuriz, from Salamanca, come out as winners of the national bartending contest whose finals took place in Madrid.

Madrid, February 25th, 2015.–

Yesterday, in Madrid, Premium gin collection THE GIN COLLECTION (www.thegincollection.com) gathered the best twelve bartenders in Spain, representing all regions, in order to wage their bartending abilities in the national THE GIN COLLECTION CONTEST final competition.

Bartenders Javier García Vicuña (Café Real and Eventus, Logroño), Álvaro Martín Cuesta (Hotel Art, Bilbao) and Borja Máuriz (Grand Hotel, Salamanca) became the winners thanks to their cocktails: “La ruta” with OPIHR ORIENTAL SPICED GIN, “Traditional Cream” with GREENALL’s GIN, and “The Pearl” with BLOOM GIN, respectively.

All three spoke of the “cocktail boom” in their respective cities, the growing consumer interest, and the pride they felt, knowing their awards will continue to strengthen this trend across Spain.

The 12 finalists had to present their proposals live, to a demanding jury formed by cocktail guru Jared Brown, renowned barman Carlos Moreno, and journalists Jesús Bernard and Oscar Barranco; toying with the versatility and the distinguishing characteristics of all four gins within The Gin Collection: classic Greenall’s, floral Bloom, herbaceous Berkeley Square Gin and spicy Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin.?
Judith Garcia, The Gin Collection’s Brand Ambassador stressed that “the big difference with THE GIN COLLECTION CONTEST is that contestants have 4 different gins to play with, not one single brand, allowing participants to make use of their creativity, with a wide range of aromas, flavors and botanicals”.

The jury picked all three winners based on the originality of their cocktails, skill during presentation, aroma, taste and balance; and also by relation with the history of each of the four brands. Jared Brown stressed “the high bartending level in Spain, with increasingly sophisticated consumers and bars, and professionals on par with cities of longer standing traditions, such as London or New York.” In this sense, Carlos Moreno praised the fact that THE GIN COLLECTION CONTEST summoned not only experts, but also new talent, rewarding creativity in the development of new proposals and expanding the profession’s recognition, so in vogue in our country.”

In March, winners will enjoy, as prize, a complete experience in England; a luxury for any bartender: a tour of London’s “Gin Lane”, where they will visit classic cocktail bars in the company of internationally renowned barmen, and visit G&J Distillers, the oldest distillery in the UK with over 250 years of history, guided by Joanne Moore, the world’s first female Master.

The 3 winning cocktails can be enjoyed in each of the authors’ represented cocktail bars; as an invitation to each city’s public, thus promoting the dissemination of these new “author” cocktails: Café Real and Eventus, in Logroño, Hotel Art, in Bilbao and Grand Hotel, in Salamanca.

THE GIN COLLECTION brings together the four gin brands exclusively distributed by Grupo Caballero in Spain. All brands are produced in England by G&J Distillers, the world’s oldest London Dry Gin distillery, with over 250 years of history.