Ultimate Bartender Championship

Monkey Shoulder's Ultimate Bartender Championship Final

Tin Can Ally, monkey shoulder, Peychaud's bitters, fernet branca, gunpowder, smoke

The long awaited Monkey Shoulder event of the year has finally arrived, the Ultimate Bartender Championship Final, a chance for the winning cocktail bar team to have their own pop up bar at London Cocktail Week. I was really gutted to missed out on last year's competition due to holiday so I was super excited to finally get the chance to attend this year's event and I was told this year is going to be even bigger and better thanks to this Youtube clip. The event was held at The Yard on Worship Street in Shoreditch, a massive studio space with plenty of entertainment and excitement provided by the Monkey Shoulder team as well as the three competing bars.

21st Century Re-amendment

Highland sourz

Somehow I have managed to try every single cocktails provided by all three bars who are competing for a spot to host their own pop up bar. One of the highlights from the Newcastle based '21st Century Re-amendment' team was the Highland sourz, the honey element injected a greater texture and depth compared to the usual sugar and the drink itself had a lovely fruity aroma. The winner of the evening was the team from Horsham based 'The Dead Parrot' and rightly deserved, they came with some very creative and entertaining cocktails in a circus theme with matching games. The "Beerded lady" cocktail was a real summer killer drink containing whisky, pineapple, peach, passion fruit, soda and IPA, just like its description: She's manly, but with a gentle fruity side!

Monkey Shoulder, toffee apple syrup, ginger, cider

team Dead Parrot

Once again, Monkey Shoulder came up with anther excellent evening, plenty of entertainment, full of unusual elements and surprises and that is the kind of cocktail bar I would love to visit often. These days, great cocktail bars can not just survive only on producing good drinks, the service, hospitality and atmosphere are just as important. It is hard to see a bar not to being successful if it managed to execute these factors with the right investment behind it. UK right now is just blessed with so many trendy and forward thinking cocktail bars and I would love to see what the next generation of bartenders can come up with and continue to delight us to make London the undisputed cocktail capital of the world.

For more information about Monkey Shoulder, please visit:

https://www.monkeyshoulder.com/