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1st June 2017
02:52pm BST
Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is finally over: the best bartender in Ireland has just been named.
Andy Ferreira from Cask in Cork was crowned World Class Irish Bartender of the Year 2017 at the prestigious competition in Zozimus on Tuesday, May 30.
Ferreira competed against top bartenders from across the nation, including Aidan Mulvaney from An Pucan in Galway and Karim Medhi from The Exchequer, Alan Moore from Lemuel’s, Martin Holec from Delahunt and Mihai Pop from Chelsea Drugstore, all based in Dublin.
All six finalists competed head-to-head in a series of complex challenges testing them on all aspects of the craft of bartending where they had to demonstrate skill, passion, innovation, creativity and ambition. For the first time ever, the finalists were also put through their paces in a speed challenge in front of a live audience and an expert panel of judges, including foodie extraordinaire John Torode of Masterchef UK.
Andy, who works in Cask on Cork city's MacCurtain Street, will now go on to represent Ireland in the Global Final of the competition in Mexico City this September.
After being announced as the World Class Irish Bartender of the Year 2017 Andy commented, “I'm absolutely over the moon! It’s such a huge honour to get to represent Ireland at the World Class Global Finals. This is the culmination of many years of commitment and hard work but I couldn't have done it without the support I received from family, friends, my team in Cask and the wider bartending community. Also, the team at World Class have been amazingly supportive. World Class is a massive platform for Irish bartenders. I intend to grasp this opportunity and show the world what Ireland is capable of. We're a small country, but we are making huge waves on the international scene and I can’t wait to represent the Irish bartending community at the Global Finals.”
Judge Peter O’Connor, Roe & Co Ambassador commented, “Ferreira’s outstanding talent, depth of knowledge and natural charisma won the competition for him. A passion for discovering the next generation of bartending talent and the latest trends in mixology have always been at the heart of World Class. Andy is a fantastic ambassador for World Class Ireland and I have no doubt that he will do us proud when he represents the country at the Global Final in September.”
Take a look at Andy in action to see why he came out on top...
