The six finalists for the Bacardi Cruise Competition have now been shortlisted and they will go head to head in Miami on September 5th to battle it out for the title of 2014 Bacardi Cruise Competition Bartender of the Year – the 9th staging of one of the cruise and ferry industry’s largest and most challenging programs to feature the skills and creativity of onboard bartenders.

This year contestants were invited to focus on the ‘Inspired Cocktail’ using their experience and craft from world of travel, cruise and ferries to create their own bespoke cocktail recipes.

From a shortlist of 25 semi-finalists, the final 6 contenders comprised of 5 individual recipes chosen by a panel of Bacardi judges, plus the final recipe – the People’s Choice – having been chosen by consumer cruisers.

The finalists are:

Brian Bent from Carnival Liberty
Poseidon Cocktail
featuring BACARDÍ OAKHEART, lemon juice, simple syrup, angostura bitters, ginger beer and fresh basil leaves

Allan Garcia from Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Cruise Lines
Superior Breeze Cocktail
featuring BACARDÍ  Superior, ST GERMAIN, ginger beer and fresh orange juice

Joeped Garrido from Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Cruise Lines
Green Nature Cocktail
featuring GREY GOOSE  vodka infused with lemon grass, elderflower liqueur, cranberry juice, green tea infused ice cubes, lemon and cucumber juice

Liisi Kutt from M/S Victoria I, Tallink Silja Line
Summer Fairy Cocktail
featuring BACARDI Melon, MARTINI Prosecco, apple juice, lime juice, simple syrup and geranium flowers

Ioana Luncean from Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Cruise Lines
Breath of Fresh Air Cocktail
featuring BACARDÍ Superior, lemon juice, lemongrass syrup, ST. GERMAIN foam

Vera Restarovic from Carnival Conquest, Carnival Cruise Lines
Black Sunrise – winner of the People’s Choice vote
featuring BACARDÍ Razz, passion fruit, pineapple and lime juice, sprite and fresh blackberries

The Bacardi Judging Panel recreated all 25 semi-finalists’ cocktails to determine their choice of the top 5 to move on to the finals.  The judging emphasis focused on innovation, creativity, inspiration and craftsmanship as demonstrated via taste and aroma, creative use of Bacardi ingredients, originality of name, appeal and presentation.  

Zachary Sulkes, Regional Manager Bacardi Travel Retail Americas commented; “The Bacardi Cruise Competition is ultimately designed to help recognize and appreciate the importance of the craft of the onboard bartender, elevating the standards of cocktail making and guest experience. 2014 is proving to be an exciting competition with a fantastic quality of entries.  By inviting the bartenders to tell the story behind their inspiration – which we believe is the essential backdrop to the quality and technical skills of their entry- we’ve been able to whittle down to our finalists.”