Annie Williams Pierce Seizes North American Title Of 11th Annual USBG Most Imaginative Bartender Competition Sponsored By BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin

This summer, the Most Imaginative Bartender program traveled across 33 North American cities to narrow down and identify the top 12 finalists – 11 from the US, one from Canada – with the most boundary-pushing cocktail creations. Pierce joins an illustrious roster of former Most Imaginative Bartender winners who continue to make waves within today's cocktail industry.

FINALS EXPERIENCE
On Monday August 21, the 12 competing finalists converged at the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE BREEAM-certified Laverstoke Mill Distillery in Hampshire, England, to embark on an immersive experience with the brand.  Led by Sam Carter, the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin Senior Ambassador of Laverstoke Mill, Global Ambassador Raj Nagra, and North American Ambassador Gary Hayward, the 12 finalists received a first-hand engagement with the gin's unique vapour-infusion distillation process and ten exotic botanicals showcased within the dazzling dual-climate glasshouses.

The competition portion officially commenced on Tuesday in the heart of London, where bartenders competed in the first-ever "Artistry Challenge" that included a 1-hour curated tour of one of London's famous art galleries. The finalists selected works of art which served as inspiration to craft their creative cocktails.  Annie Williams Pierce snagged the win after crafting an avant-garde recipe, illustrating the collision between art and mixology. Additional challenges included "The On Air Challenge," which put the competitors' presentation skills to the test – prompting their ability to create a recipe while engaging an audience during a filmed demonstration. To heat things up, the 12 finalists were also tasked with designing a bespoke cocktail menu at a top London bar for the "Guest Shift" challenge. Each bartender had the day to source local ingredients throughout to the city in order to batch and prepare three different gin-forward cocktail recipes for their menu. Tampa's Brenda Terry  and Las Vegas' SeongHa Lee earned the top scores for challenges two and three.

In London today, during the 'Final Cocktail Showcase" at the Connaught Bar, each finalist presented an original BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin cocktail while sharing the inspiration for their unique creation. New York's Luis Hernandez was named the last individual challenge winner of the competition.

Finally, this evening, during the closing awards gala, the esteemed panel of judges including Hayward, acclaimed New York mixologist and Pouring Ribbons founder Joaquín Simó, as well as USBG Southwest Regional Vice President and Phoenix beverage consultant Kim Hassarud, came together to name Pierce as the 2017 North American Most Imaginative Bartender winner.

Pierce reveled in her victory after the announcement stating, "Being honored and celebrated this evening for my creative passion is a feeling that I will never forget. The Most Imaginative Bartender Competition really pushes the boundaries of what cocktail making can be and being able to flex my creative muscles is one of the main reasons I chose to embrace this craft in the first place. I'm still reeling from the week's events but can't wait to experience all of the invaluable opportunities that this title will open up for me."

"We are thrilled to announce and celebrate Annie as the 11^th annual winner of the Most Imaginative Bartender program; Annie exhibited an extraordinary level of imagination in this year's competition." says Tom Swift, North America VP, Managing Director for BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin. "Each year of the program, emerging talents from across North America continuously showcase cocktail making as a pure art form, exhibiting cutting-edge levels of craft and imagination. The innovative work of these bartenders continues to propel this industry forward."

Annie Williams Pierce's' final cocktail recipe:
London x Tokyo
1.75oz Bombay Sapphire Gin washed with Persian lime infused olive oil
1.33oz Blanc vermouth infused with sugar snap peas
0.25oz verjus
Shiso olive oil

2017 MOST IMAGINATIVE BARTENDER FINALISTS

• Chris Morris | Houston, TX
• Annie Pierce| Columbus, OH
• Adam Robinson | Portland, OR
• SeongHa Lee | Las Vegas, NV
• Eric Jeffus | Chicago, IL
• Eddie DiDonato | Burlington, VT
• Collin Nicholas | San Francisco, CA
• Brenda Terry | Tampa, FL
• Brittney Olsen | Los Angeles, CA
• Luis Hernandez | New York, New York
• Andrew Lue | Miami, FL
• Timo Salimaki | Calgary, Canada

About the USBG
The United States Bartenders' Guild is an organization of beverage service professionals dedicated to the continued refinement of our craft. Such refinement is achieved through advanced product education; original hand-crafted cocktail competitions; and aggressive involvement with other professionals in the beverage industry throughout the country and internationally. It is our intention, desire and main focus to become the most skilled, knowledgeable and professional group of bartenders in the industry. Above all, the United States Bartenders' Guild supports and promotes well-informed, responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages.

ABOUT BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® is the world's fastest growing premium Gin and number one premium Gin by value.  BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is created with a unique combination of ten sustainably sourced botanicals from around the globe. The brand's signature distillation process known as vapour infusion is showcased at the BREEAM award-winning Laverstoke Mill Distillery in Hampshire, England. The vapour infusion process skillfully captures the natural flavors of the botanicals which results in the Gin's smooth, complex taste. Awarded a double gold medal in the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is consistently recognized for crafting the finest quality gin. For more information, please explore www.bombaysapphire.com.

The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.

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