Gerda Viks from the restaurant Volga 7 took home the title of best bartender at the Viru Valge Grand Prix on Friday 3 May. Second prize went to Ljudmilla Jevonen from Venus Club and in third place was Kristo Tomingas, owner of Butterfly Lounge and currently the highest-rated bartender in Estonia. The winner\u2019s cocktail \u2013 \u2018Viru Valge Paradise\u2019 \u2013 was chosen as the brand\u2019s official summer cocktail for 2013.<\/p>\n
The winner in the international category was Inguss Reizenbergs from Latvia. In addition to 28 Estonian contestants, 11 bartenders from other countries also took part in the Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told my friends prior to the competition that I was going to make a cocktail for myself using ingredients I like \u2013 and as it turned out, other people liked it as well!\u201d said winner Gerda Viks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs expected, the competition was very strong,\u201d said Ron Busman, Vice-President of the International Bartenders Association and one of the judges at the event. \u201cYet the way the contestants crafted their drinks and their showmanship still surprised me \u2013 it was very impressive! The entire show was so entertaining that you could compare it to a great movie. I really enjoyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHeld alongside the competition was the conference of the International Bartenders Association, and our guests were delighted with both the organisational side of the competition and the level of talent displayed,\u201d said Margit Kikas, Vice-President of the Estonian Bartenders Association. \u201cFrom the international perspective, the Viru Valge Grand Prix was the first serious bartenders competition in Estonia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the Viru Valge Grand Prix we\u2019re encouraging bartenders to come up with new cocktails, offering them a professional challenge and a chance to learn from their colleagues,\u201d said Janek Kalvi, President of AS Liviko. \u201cAs a result, their level of professionalism and alcohol culture as a whole will be boosted even further.\u201d<\/p>\n
To participate in the Viru Valge Grand Prix, each of the contestants had to submit a recipe for their own cocktail. The international jury chose the top three based on the preparation of the drink and the showmanship involved. After a written test and early rounds, seven bartenders were selected to face one another in the final.<\/p>\n
The winner, Gerda Viks, was awarded a trophy and a trip worth \u20ac500 to the travel destination of her choice.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s competition was the second Viru Valge Grand Prix. A conference of the International Bartenders Association was held in Tallinn as part of the event.<\/p>\n
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Gerda Viks from the restaurant Volga 7 took home the title of best bartender at the Viru Valge Grand Prix on Friday 3 May. Second prize went to Ljudmilla Jevonen from Venus Club and in third place was Kristo Tomingas,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"pagrindinis_gerimas":[],"skonis":[],"prekinis_zenklas":[],"class_list":["post-6198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n