Marc Bonneton, bar manager of L´Antiquaire in Lyon, France, prevailed over a field of nine other international bartenders.
The contestants, who were from France, Belgium, Germany, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the UK and the US, had each negotiated national heats to reach the final.
The Oval Room of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona provided the venue for the competition, with some of the industry’s leading figures in attendance, including Peter Dorelli, Salvatori Calabrese, Alex Turner and Agostino Peronne.
Finalists were tasked with creating a “balanced and appealing” drink in the "classic style", that could follow in the footsteps of cocktails such as the Piña Colada, Cuba Libre, Daiquiri and Mojito.
Bonneton, creator of the winning cocktail - Marco's Bacardi Fizz – said: “With my legacy cocktail I pay tribute to Henrico C Ramos, who created his own cocktail (twist on a Gin Fizz) for the opening of the Imperial Cabinet in New Orleans, 1888.
“By switching the gin for Bacardi Superior rum and the orange blossom water for Green Chartreuse (a product local to Lyon) I obtained a very different cocktail but with a similar aromatic structure and distinct texture.”
As victor, Bonneton won a hand-crafted trophy – which is believed to have cost Bacardi £10,000 to commission – a VIP trip to promote the winning cocktail, and the chance to distill his own rum.
Marco's Bacardi Fizz combined 50ml Bacardi Superior rum, 40ml cream, 15ml Green Chartreuse, 15ml lemon juice, 15ml lime juice, 15ml sugar syrup, 1 egg white and soda water.
Bonneton dry-shook the egg white in a shaker with no ice, added the other ingredients and shook the egg white until it emulsified with the cream. He fine-strained the mixture into a tall glass, topped with soda water and garnished with a sprig of mint.
