Nine UK bartenders fought out a close UK final at London venue Perkin Reveller, but Mitchell won over judges with his 'classic' Clover Club and ‘contemporary drink with a twist’, Covent Club.
Judging the competition was Beefeater global brand ambassadors Tim Stones and Seb Hamilton-Mudge and Emma Stokes from blog site, Gin Monkey.
Mitchell’s Classic Clover Club was a mix of 40ml Beefeater Dry gin, 20ml homemade raspberry and rosewater syrup, 20ml Noilly Prat Dry, 20ml lemon juice and 20ml egg white.
His ‘twisted’ version saw a different syrup, this time made from bramble, Pinot Noir and celery bitters, the use of fino sherry instead of vermouth and Beefeater 24 not Beefeater Dry.
After judging the event, Stones told DI: “Scott’s drink had everything: it was sweet, sour, spirituous and had mouth-feel. And the way he twisted the Clover Club with blackberry, Pinot Noir and, fino and celery bitters…"
Stones said it was no surprise a bartender from Edinburgh triumphed. “Edinburgh is fast establishing itself as a very good cocktail market. Bars like The Bon Vivant and Bramble are taking their cocktails to the next level. Edinburgh is now one of the leading lights of the cocktail scene.”
Mitchell, who also competed in Beefeater 24’s Scottish heat last year and has been bartending fulltime for only two years, said he was “relatively confident” of doing well in the global final but said competing among a field of 26 meant “the odds are not good”.
The following bartenders took part in the national final.
1) Bristol: Jolene Cadwell, Papajis
2) Manchester: Adam Binnerslay, Hula
3) Manchester: Andrew Knapper, The Liquor Store
4) Edinburgh: Jon Hughes, Bramble
5) Edinburgh: Scott Mitchell, The Bon Vivant
6) London: Jeremy Pascal, Perkin Reveller
7) London: Andy Loudon, 69 Colebrooke Row
8) Leeds: Lee Jones, Smokestack
9) Liverpool: Daniel Cunningham, 81 Liverpool Trading Dock Bar
