The Grand Prix / The Grand Prix : Day 2

Tonight Giuseppe Santamaria from Spain, Marcis Dzelzainis from the UK, Ioannis Petros Petris from Greece, and Claire Harlick from New Zealand emerged victorious during the next-to-last round of competition in the 8th International Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix. Tomorrow one of them will be crowned the overall winner. Stay tuned....

I woke up this morning knowing that I would have a very enjoyable and important purpose for my day. I was honoured to be one of the 13 judges for the Havana Club Grand Prix 2010 and I was the only woman. The judges all assembled this morning for their briefing which I made in the nick of time. My fellow judges were the likes of Dave Broom, Dre Masso, Philip Duff (Chairman), Tony C to name but a few. We were each put into groups of 3 and given 10 contestants each.

I was in a group with Tony C and Dave Broom so a recipe for much mischief and great banter. We assembled in the lobby of the hotel and were escorted to the Gran Teatro by a group of Cuban models. The Gran Teatro is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen, sweeping double staircases took us upstairs to the 26ft mahogany bar which today's contestants would have the privilege of standing behind. As judging team B were all from the UK we tucked into a very cleansing and refreshing cup of tea before the judging commenced. 

In the 4 hours of judging we met contestants from Lithuania, Russia, Dublin, Croatia, Switzerland, Sweden and even India. The drinks were very varied and the enthusiasm impressive. One of my favourite drinks of the day had radiccio and black cherries as ingredients. Contestants were supposed to make all 3 drinks in 10 minutes but quite a few took up to 30 minutes. We were also given some cool gifts/bribes which included herbal sweets, cigars and chocolate. There aren't many people who can say their work consisted of tasting 30 cocktails whilst drinking cups of tea and smoking cigars!

I see Randall beat me to it writing about the difficulty of ingredients for some competitors. It sounds like  customs was a lottery and many bartenders spent last night and this morning madly dashing around Havana looking for many taken for granted ingredients. I asked Nick, Glen and Meimi, who are over seeing the organisation of all Grand Prix events and generally helping the contestants what were the most challenging items they had been asked for. 

Apparently an expresso machine was top of the list as well as strawberries and lemons, neither of which are found in Cuba. Star fruit kept popping up also as a confiscated item but I judged at least 2 cocktails today which had star fruit for the garnish.

It isn't just the ingredients that the competitors need, there are 5 days of events to be catered for. Nick and Glen have ordered 1400 limes for the 5 days and 2000 sprigs of mint for the 1000 mojitos that will be consumed. Glen was sent out to the mint fields to select the mint himself. 

Having just finished judging for the day, I am more than impressed with the range and variety of ingredients that did make it through it customs.

We woke up thinking of the old joke about the termite who walks into the bar and asks, "Is the bar tender here?" That same question, more or less, was answered later this morning by Cocktail Grand Prix organiser Michael Menegos who told us with evident relief that, yes, the bartenders are all here. Forty-one of them have arrived in Havana (from 32 countries) despite Icelandic volcanoes and whatever else had been threatening to keep them from participating in the final leg of the contest. 

Their luggage, however, wasn't so lucky. One bartender discovered a heap of smashed glassware when he opened his suitacase. Several others had problems getting their ingredients through customs. (One contestant brought his own ice, so that gives you an idea of the importance these mixologists place on their supplies.) We can imagine that some of those ingredients must have appeared odd to even the most forgiving Cuban customs official. We've never seen a Buddha's Hand, for example, but several bartenders came here planning to concoct their cocktails using this "fragrant citron variety whose fruit is segmented into finger-like sections" (thank you, Wikipedia). Which means those same bartenders had to spend yesterday running around Havana trying to locate suitable alternatives. 

At the briefing for the jury this morning, Michael Menegos asked the judges to show lenience for those contestants deprived of key ingredients, adding that he hoped the afflicted bartenders would be able to turn the loss to their advantage: "Maybe they'll say, 'I intended to bring star fruit but now I'm mixing instead with, I don't know, fried chicken". Jamie Chesher, representing Australia in the cocktail contest, was fairly fortunate in this regard. He managed to arrive with all his glassware intact and in possession of all his ingredients except star anise, which he managed to locate without too much trouble in a Havana market. This all seemed to augur well for Jamie's chances when the competition kicked off at noon today in the Gran Teatro de la Havana. Yet Jamie appeared anything but relaxed as he paced the room, awaiting his turn to mix his three cocktails for the judges. Eyes darting heaven-ward at the lone functioning ceiling fan, he said, unnecessarily , "It's really hot in here, isn't it?"

The first round of the Havana Club Grand Prix is taking place today at the magnificent Gran Teatro de La Habana. Located upstairs at an enormous and beautiful Mahogany bar from 1917, the bartenders are competing at one of four stations, each with a panel of three judges, along with an audience of fellow bartenders and supporters.

Each competitor has 10 minutes to made their three cocktails; a Daiquiri variation, a cocktail containing any Havana Club product, and a cocktail using Havana Club 7 Year Old. In addition to being rated on the look, aroma, taste and finish of the cocktail, bartenders are rated for their technical skills, knowledge and demeanour behind the bar. 

Nerves were high, particularly for the bartenders who had trouble getting their ingredients and equipment to Cuba, however everyone is making the best of the situation and we’ve already seen some unusual techniques like serving a cocktail in a hollowed out pepper!

The Havana Club Grand Prix festivities kicked off last night with the welcome party, held on the roof-top pool bar at the Hotel Parque Central. Competitors, judges and other attendees enjoyed tasty Havana Club cocktails made by the Cantineros while enjoying the warm Cuban evening and beautiful views over central Havana. 
 
Michael Menegos, head of experimental marketing at Havana Club and the organiser of this years competition, welcomed everyone to Cuba and explained the ideas behind this year’s revamp of the competition.

As the evening went on more competitors and judges arrived, many coming straight from the airport having been delayed by the dreaded volcanic ash cloud. The Grand Prix finalists mingled, sizing up their rivals and sussing out who might be the greatest threats, but their competitive spirit didn’t stop offers to lend spare equipment where some bartenders had suffered breakages during the trip to Cuba. 

As the party wound down some headed for an early night, while others took up residence at the hotel bar downstairs. However everyone’s minds were on the competition starting the following morning where each bartender will make three of their drinks for a panel of judges. Just four will continue on for the chance to take the crown tomorrow – and we’ll know which four tonight. 

Copenhagen based Julian Johansen is a resident bartender at the Ruby. He always wanted to have a bar “since the age of 14", he says. "I had a late start. I was waitering at a wedding and the bartender didn't show up, so the guy getting married put me on and showed me what to do it. Later I learned he had rock bar and he hired me after putting me on the stick."

Your Story, Your bar
"But what really made me start out as a bartender was my very first Treacle Cocktail. I was sitting in a bar where Nick Kobbernagel was making cocktails, and he was telling me stories about bartending and he later became my boss at Ruby. He is a great friend and inspiration to me, a real mentor.

“Ruby is about serving quality cocktails for everyone interested, bartending is a craft and we continuously pursue the goal of making better cocktails. It’s a bar decorated as an apartment (living room) with cosy furniture and dimmed lights. We have a sub-level with special sipping spirits and old cocktail books. The philosophy is: classic drinking, forward thinking."


Your experience as a bartender
"The last thing I learnt was in Melbourne. I spent some time there, where I had to chance to work with Sebastian Reabur. He taught me a lot about how alcohol and ice interact.

“Every guest is different and keeping an open mind makes it easier to please them. I like to learn from different people so I try to have a humble approach and intrigue myself when I stumble upon something new. Currently, it’s still cold in Denmark, so I like to serve and make The Sazerac Cocktail. I'm a big fan of Rye whiskey, and this old Antoine Peychaud cocktail from 1836 in New Orleans is just amazing, especially with Rye whiskey. I also love my rum, and a well-made daiquiri is something I really love especially in the summer."


The Havana Club Grand Prix
"I was very nervous during the national competition and, at the time, quite new to the whole competition thing. I was up against some really amazing bartenders, but I worked my cocktail through many times before and was very happy getting on stage and doing it.

“This is now my second time on Cuba but my first Havana Grand Prix. The HGP for me is an amazing chance to see the level of top bartenders worldwide, and I will try to pick up as many tips and tricks as possible. Hopefully I will also take home a big trophy!

“It's important to get more focus on rums and also getting the professional bartenders back in the game. I think HGP helps both.
 
“I think the standard is very high, which is great, I hope the high level of bartending will make it a fantastic competition. I will have to sharpen my bartending senses and skills if I’m going to win.

“My chances are the same as everyone else’s. We have all worked hard on this and I will bring some fantastic cocktails to Cuba!"