Top Bartenders Descend Upon Ibiza to Compete in Global Finals of elit® Vodka art of martini Competition this Weekend

To embark on this journey to martini stardom, bartenders created their own take on the all-time classic, using elit^® Vodka as the main spirit and highlighting an ingredient local to their city or country. The popularity of their creations was tested with the public for two months before a select few in each city were invited to face off in the local finals where a jury of regional spirits industry experts chose the bartender best suited to represent their city at the Global Finale. The 39 finalists came from more than 800 entries globally. The following bartenders won over their cities' martini connoisseurs and will participate in the finals in Ibiza:

• Australia (Melbourne) - Blake Hall (V)
• Australia (Sydney) - Jake Down (This Must Be the Place)
• Austria (Salzburg) - Melanie Mösenbichler (Eurotherme Bad Ischl)
• Austria (Vienna) - Heinz Kaiser (Dino's)
• Belgium (Antwerp/Ghent) - Charlotte De Fevere (L'Apereau)
• Belgium (Brussels) - Cederic Millet (Casbar)
• Canada (Toronto) - Michele Maffei (NOCE Restaurant)
• Cyprus (Nicosia) - Marcos Horattides (Marina Beach Bar)
• Czech Republic (Prague) - Milan Zaleš (Bugsy's Bar)
• Finland (Helsinki) - Jan Lindgren (Medicin Man)
• France (Paris) - Steven Lages (Harry's New York Bar)
• Georgia (Tbilisi) - Vasil Gongadze (Egoist Club)
• Greece (Athens) – Previstas Alexandros (Point Cocktail)
• Hong Kong (Hong Kong) - Paul Kwok (De Luna Tapas Bar)
• Hungary (Budapest) - Atilla Bús (Sol Bistro)
• Iceland (Reykjavik) - Jonmundur Thorsteinsson (Apótek Kitchen Bar  )
• Italy (Bari) - Davide Mitacchione (Luau Tiki Bar)
• Italy (Milan) - Lorenzo Allegrini (Morgante Cocktail & Soul)
• Italy (Rome) – Solomiya Grytsyshyn (Chorus Cafè)
• Italy (Venice) - Lucas Kelm (AMO – Alajmo)
• Lebanon (Beirut) - Firas Youssef (The Smallville Hotel)
• Luxembourg (Luxembourg) - Marius Birzan (Grand Hôtel Cravat)
• Portugal (Algarve) - Diego Santos (7 imeio Wine Bar)
• Portugal (Lisbon) -  Rui Santos (Instituto Plural de Interior)
• Singapore (Singapore) – Sim Sze Wei (Atlas)
• Spain (Barcelona) - Luis Bustamante (Metric)
• Spain (Bilbao) - Elias Escudero (Gu San Sebastián)
• Spain (Madrid) - David González (Bar Cock)
• Sweden (Stockholm) – Nils Pettersson (Bistro Rigoletto)
• Taiwan (Taipei) - Andersen Huang (Asia 49)
• Thailand (Bangkok) - Jane Kaewyod (Sorrento Sathon)
• UAE (Dubai) - Santanu Chanda (Buddha Bar)
• UK (London) - Will Meredith (Dandelyan)
• UK (Manchester) – Peter Findlay (Berry and Rye)
• USA (Dallas) - Trevor Landry (DISH)
• USA (Miami) - Seth Weinberg (Fontainebleau Hotel Miami Beach)
• USA (New York) - Amanda Toar (One One Four Bar & Lounge at The Marmara Park Avenue)
• USA (Las Vegas) – Sarah Delgado-Rith (The Dorsey at The Venetian)
• USA (Los Angeles) - Michael West (The Cannery Newport Beach)

"We've traveled the world over and discovered a unique martini cocktail every time, but what each of our finalists have in common is audacious artistic vision. The art of martini Global Finale will be a tight race, making victory even sweeter," said Brent Lamberti, luxury spirits sales director for Stoli Group and the event's host. "It will be interesting to see the bartenders' ingredient selections and how they complement the notes of elit Vodka. We're looking forward to the breathtaking presentations, creative cocktails and to offering the finalists an unforgettable experience they'll take back to their bars and cities."

The global finals will take place between 22nd and 23rd September and will see finalists elevating their bartending skills to new levels. Through a master class with Chef Roncero, who also heads up Ibiza's award-winning restaurant Sublimotion, the finalists will learn how to showcase their works of cocktail mastery using a variety of multi-sensory effects.

The competition in Ibiza is a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and be inspired by the world's leading bartenders and club owners. The winner of the Global Finale will continue on their journey of artistic discovery by getting the chance to join the renowned Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans in 2018.

To learn more about elit^® ultra-luxury Vodka, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About Stoli Group

Part of SPI Group – one of the world's leading premium spirits businesses – Stoli Group was established in 2013 as the division responsible for the management, distribution and marketing of SPI's global spirit portfolio.

Stolichnaya, Stoli, the bottle shape, the label/s are trademarks, depending of the country, of ZHS IP Americas Sàrl, ZHS IP Europe Sàrl or ZHS IP Worldwide Särl.

SOURCE Stoli Group

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