This year’s competition will host 20 global bartenders – 19 will be chosen through online entries and the final bartender will be elected via a consumer vote. All 20 finalists will travel Finland for the final.
Neil Punwani, senior vice-president and managing director of vodka at Brown-Forman said: “This year we are excited to give our consumers the opportunity to vote for the bartenders and drinks they love through digital tools such as Facebook. This year’s event truly connects the brand to our loyal consumers, brand ambassadors, and world-class bartenders as everyone gets a chance to participate.”
Bartenders can enter by submitting their recipe, a picture of the finished cocktail and description of its ingredients, online at Finlandia.com. For the first time bartenders will have the opportunity to “actively engage” consumers in order to encourage them to vote for their entries.
Online recipes for qualifying rounds will be accepted from now until November 23, 2011. Submissions will be judged and ranked by Finlandia’s master taster Markku Raittinen and global mixologist Pekka Pellinen. During the finals, a panel of six judges will critique bartenders on the art, style and craft of three original Finlandia cocktails: aperitif, a long drink and the “Quick Mix.”
See finlandia.com for more info.
