Monkey Shoulder's Ultimate Bartender Championship

IT’S BACK! Monkey Shoulder’s Ultimate Bartender Championship launches with a bang

Monkey Shoulder has officially launched the third annual Ultimate Bartender Championship in the UK giving the country’s most kick-ass bartending talent the chance to roll up their sleeves and show off their skills that pay the bills.

The unconventional Scotch whisky brand is encouraging bartenders to rip up the rulebook and forget everything they know about traditional bartender competitions as the one-of-a-kind championship launches for the third year running. The 2016 Championship will have more regional heats, a final at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, and the grand prize of a fully stocked pop-up at London Cocktail Week for the winner.

Last year, over 150 bartenders from all over the country took part in the championship, with the Dead Parrot team from West Sussex walking away with nearly £13,000 in takings at their London Cocktail Week bar. This year, bartenders will not be required to sign up in a team as each contestant will compete as an individual throughout the entire competition. Both professionals and amateurs are eligible to enter, with the only requirements being a love of bartending, a passion for creating great drinks, and a minimum age of 18, of course.

Challenges include rounds on Knowledge, Mixing, Pouring, and Nosing as well as back of house organisational skills such as Stock Take. Testing on Tray Service and Round Building will also be included as part of the Regional Heats. To raise the stakes, all entrants will be scored and ranked on a national—and worldwide leaderboard hosted online for all to see.

Brand new for this year, the top five scoring bartenders within the UK (as determined by the online leaderboard) will travel on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Ultimate Bartender Championship final at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in July 2016. The UK Champion will then be awarded with, once again, a week-long pop-up during London Cocktail Week in October 2016.

Monkey Shoulder brand amBADASSador Grant Neave said: “This year’s UBC is going to be epic! We’ve made it easier than ever to sign up, and we’re running even more heats than last year so that more people will have a chance to compete. Think of it as a mash up of Tough Mudder, Britain’s Got Talent, The Apprentice and Eurovision for the bartending community – but much more fun and rewarding of course. It really supports and nurtures the next generation of bartenders so we encourage anyone who loves bartending to enter, either to springboard a burgeoning career in the industry or as a platform for showcasing already awesome bar skills.”