News
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE SUNKEN SAILOR'S HOME?
This was the sight Jim Slavin saw when he went to check on his hotel's waterside mooring! Brrrr. Below is a photograph of other boats along the riverbank.
Daniel Crebesse was recently in Sorrento as a guest of the Italian Association's President, Giorgio Fadda, to celebrate the organisation’s 60th birthday. To mark the event, a National Cocktail Competition had been arranged, and two of the UKBG’s members competed. Alex Boggio entered the free category and reached the final stage, finishing an impressive second place in the Best Garnish category. He also took out second place in the prestigious Bartender of the Year competition.
Mirko Falconi took part in the prestigious Angelo Zola competition, finishing in 6th position.
The IBA President, Dereck Lee, was also at the event, along with Ron Busman, the Danish President, and the Presidents of Sweden and Norway bartenders’ organizations. Italian Sky television covered the finale, which was superbly presented as usual by the Italian bartenders. A big thank-you to them for a great trip and competition.
Above are Alex Boggio (left) who came 2nd inthe Best Garnish category in Italy, with Mirko Falconi (right) who came 6th in the Angelo Zola competition.
PETER DORELLI WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Above: Peter (left) in a jubilant mood after winning
his award, with Daniel Crebesse, the UKBG President.
Peter Dorelli, formerly the Bar Manager at The Savoy Hotel in London, has won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual THEME magazine awards event held in London.
Peter Dorelli is also a former UKBG President and currently works as a consultant, passing on his unique knowledge of cocktail-making and the hospitality business at the UKBG's training courses.
Congratulations, Peter, from all at the UKBG.
GREAT BRITAIN WINS THE FLAIR COMPETITION AT THE 2009 IBA WORLD COCKTAIL COMPETITION
Gianluigi Bosco represented the UKBG at the IBA in Berlin and won the title with a magical performance that impressed the judges. There were 45 countries competing for the prestigious prize. His confidence and personality delivered the winning points, as did the taste of his cocktail. Congratulations from everyone at IBA on this win. Said Daniel Crebesse, the UKBG President: "We are all very excited by Gianluigi's win. It is a great moment for the UKBG." See the Competitions Results page for details.
FLAIR COMPETITION RESULTS
1ST PLACE: GREAT BRITAIN (Gianluigi Bosco)
2nd Place: URUGUAY (Juan Santiago)
3rd Place: PERU (Jorge Pareja)
Here is Gianluigi's winning recipe:
Absolutely Rocking
35ml Absolut Blue vodka
25ml Mango purée by Finest Call
20ml Fresh lime juice
15ml Monin vanilla syrup
25ml Caraibos cloudy apple juice
Glass: Alternato (fish-bowl / highball glass)
Method: Shake and strain
Extra: A mix of 1/2 caster sugar & 1/2 curry powder to use as a rim around the glass
Garnish: Apple fan pick on a lime wedge with a red currant, on the rim.
There were 52 countries competing in the CLASSIC Competition.
1ST PLACE: SLOVAKIA (Vladimir Banak)
2nd Place: SLOVENIA (Miro Petrevcic)
3rd Place: CZECH REPUBLIC ( Ms Sarka Janova)
Best Technical
Taiwan (Ms Wu Jou Wen)
THE UKBG HAS A NEW PRESIDENT
At a recent meeting of the UKBG committee Daniel Crebesse was elected as the Guild's new President. Congratulations to Mr Crebesse from all the members of the UKBG.
Pictured above are the outgoing President, Salvatore Calabrese (right) with the new President, Daniel Crebesse wearing the chain (left).
Daniel has been the Guild's Vice-President for the past five years and takes over his role in time for the IBA Conference and the World Cocktail Competition which is to be held in Berlin next month.
He has been a UKBG member for 17 years, spending two years in the London area committee, then six years as the London Area Chairman, followed by five years as the national Vice President.
His professional career has taken him from the London Intercontinental Hotel, where he worked for eight years, to the Thistle hotel chain, where he spent six years as Bar Manager. He enjoyed five years at the Sofitel in London Bar Manager before becoming the Bar Manager (two years ago) at the prestigious Milestone Hotel in Kensington, London.
IBA 2008 RESULTS
The UKBG team set off for the Caribbean fortress of Puerto Rico and to the town of San Juan where the International Bartenders’ Association were holding their annual World Cocktail Competition.
Unfortunately, the home of the Pina Colada was not to see Jeremy Blackmore, the UK representative in the Classic section of the world finals. His passport was stolen the day before he was due to travel.
However, our team this year was 14 strong and included UKBG regional heat winners Claudio Antonino, Andy Pearson and Raffaello Dante as well as Tom Dyer, the UKBG representative in the Flair section.
The UKBG President Salvatore Calabrese flew in from Las Vegas to make the decision over who would represent the UKBG in Jeremy’s absence. He decided that Andy Pearson would deliver Jeremy's recipe.
Meanwhile the one and only Tom Dyer started his bid for the Flair crown. This attempt ended with all of our hopes being dashed. After nailing every technical detail and move (he was the only one to do so in the competition), and after receiving a standing ovation from representatives from all the other countries, the session ended in disaster when a freak accident resulted in Tom knocking over his drink. He immediately remixed his cocktail but was judged to have time faults. While I, and hundreds of others, declared him to be the Best at the Show, he was to be deprived of the pleasure of appearing in the Final because the judges declared him out.
Could we suffer any more bad luck?
Andy Pearson, last year’s competitor in the Classic section, would once again carry our hopes. The effort put in by Andy was tremendous. He locked himself away in his room to perfect his technique and Jeremy's recipe. Nino, Raffaello, Mickael and Luca were all tirelessly trying to get the right ingredients and equipment for the cocktail. Jim Slavin worked behind the scene trying to produce a memorable competition, Peter Dorelli along with his 3 cheerleaders Valerie, Kay and Sue shouted and cheered to give us an advantage, but it was not to be. The UKBG competitor would not make the finals this year.
The winner of the Classic section was Austria with the recipe below:
Golden Rico
2cl Matrioska Lux
1.5cl Amade ChocOrange
1cl Monin Vanille
4cl Caraibos orange juice
2cl cream
Method: Shaken
Glass: Martini.
Garnish: kumquat, lemon, pineapple leaves and cinnamon
The UK recipe was called Pocket Rocket.
4cl Grey Goose vodka
1.5cl Vedrenne liqueur de Poire
1.5cl Monin Elderflower
2cl lemon juice
1/2 fresh avocado
10 rocket leaves
Method: Muddle and shake
Glass: Coupette
Garnish: lemon, cucumber and rocket leaves
The winning countries for Flairtending were:
1) Uruguay
2) Russia
3) Sweden
PAGING THE WINNER!
Brian Page, who teaches the UKBG Bartender & Cocktail training courses at Westminster Kingsway College, won the Theme magazine National Award for 'Outstanding Contribution' to the bar industry.
Brian started his career at the age of sixteen as a pantry boy on board a Tate & Lyle ship going to Jamaica. He progressed to Waiter, Bedroom and then to the position of Bathroom steward, and it was during his time on board ocean liners that he used to help out in the lounges and bars on busy dance nights. This gave him a taste for bar work and on leaving the sea he went to work in bars on the holiday island of Jersey. When he moved to London Brian got an assistant’s job at the (then) newly opened White Elephant Club in Curzon Street and then progressed with other establishments until, at the age of twenty three, he became one of the youngest head bartenders ever with a position at the Empress Restaurant in Berkeley Street.
Brian spent 13 years at the Empress until 1975 when he was offered the position of Bars Manager of the Hotel Intercontinental at Hyde Park Corner. Some years later Brian joined the Cafe de Paris as Beverage Manager and remained there until his retirement.
When asked to take over the UKBG training courses, he jumped at the opportunity. During his career Brian had been trained to be a “trainer” and during his time as President of the UKBG he was appointed the Chairman of the International Bartenders Association's Education Development Committee. This committee was charged with the task of creating an internationally acceptable and certificated courseto berecognised by all 52 member countries of the IBA.
In 1999 the IBA awarded him the highest honour that it is possible for them to give, the International Angelo Zola award for his services to training and education.
As Brian often says " I was the luckiest person ever to have a job I loved, I never wanted to do anything else and when it was time to return to work after a few days off I used to rub my hands in glee, work was always a pleasure, never a chore".
A Remarkable Find by Jim Slavin
Jim was asked if there was a record of a Cocktail of the Month for November 1955 which was invented to mark the occasion of the start of the Oxford and Cambridge Far East Expedition. Its inventor was President George Baker. And, Jim found the recipe, which is below! The ingredients are in parts of the cocktail, not in cl.
The Gay Explorer
3/6 vodka
2/6 yellow Chartreuse
1/6 fresh lemon juice
Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Serve gaily!
SELLING FAST ONLINE AND IN STORES! BUY NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST!
The International Guide to Drinks (Hardcover)
by United Kingdom Bartenders' Guild (with Lynn Bryan as General Editor)
Many other cocktail books have been and gone, but "The International Guide to Drinks" remains the book used by bartenders the world over, with a comprehensive guide to the preparation of every kind of drink, from exotic cocktails to wines, liqueurs, spirits and beers. Fully revised and updated with colour photography, the book features winning recipes from the World Cocktail Championships, and includes sections on classic and contemporary cocktails, countries and their drinks, wines of the world, spirits and beers, aperitifs and digestifs, plus a detailed glossary and table of measurement.