By Jordan Gelbart
42 Below has announced its line-up of international judges for the 7th annual 42 Below Cocktail World Cup to be held in Queenstown, New Zealand in March.
The three judges include New York-based drinks writer David Wondrich, labelled by the New York Times as ‘a living iPod of drink and recipes’.
The UK’s Salvatore Calabrese, known as ‘The Maestro’ and one of the worlds leading bartenders and a previous president of the UK Bartenders Guild, and Jacob Briars, AKA “The Vodka Professor” and the former global brand ambassador for 42 Below, round out the panel.
“I’m enormously excited to be part of the Cocktail World Cup, not only because of its sterling reputation as a test of bartending skill and ingenuity, but also because of the high-spirited energy that surrounds the event. On to New Zealand,” said Wondrich.
The week long event will gather some of the world’s best bartenders to represent their country to compete in an intense competition and outdoor activities with challenges including ‘Modern Mocktail’ and ‘21st Century Punch’.
The 2010 Cocktail World Cup saw Team USA win, Team France place second, while local favourite Team New Zealand came in third.
The competition will be launched on March 14 in Queenstown and will culminate on March 18 with the Grand Final.