Fabio Di Silvestro from Outdated Pal Bar & Kitchen Edinburgh secured first place within the competitors in partnership with UKBG and the Japanese Sake & Shochu Makers Affiliation.
ONE of Edinburgh’s main bartenders has overwhelmed off robust competitors to take dwelling first place on the fourth annual Nice Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest, organised by the UK Bartenders’ Guild and sponsored by the Japanese Sake & Shochu Makers Affiliation.
Fabio Di Silvestro, normal supervisor and bartender on the extremely rated Outdated Pal Bar & Kitchen in Edinburgh’s Haymarket, confronted off in opposition to twelve shortlisted finalists at The Blind Pig, The Bar Upstairs at Sael on Monday tenth March.
He took dwelling the highest prize of a visit to Japan, to hone his expertise even additional with the specialists within the Japanese spirit trade.
Fabio’s entry, the Yabukita Snap, shot to first place with its distinctive narrative and its spectacular presentation.
When requested about his win and the competitors as a complete, Fabio mentioned: “Profitable the Honkaku Shochu & Awamori competitors, organized by UKBG and JSS, is an unimaginable honor, and I’m deeply grateful for the popularity. This 12 months’s competitors challenged us to step out of our consolation zones, utilizing unfamiliar elements and dealing with a complete class as a spirit base meant an immersive analysis course of.
“For me, this led to the creation of a drink impressed by Japan’s beloved Bamboo cocktail. I wished to have fun the complexity and richness of Shochu, a spirit that mixes parts of each whisky and sake, and pair it with the attractive flavors of Yabukita tea from Kyushu island.
“The method of crafting this drink—exploring totally different elements, flavors, and strategies—was a real labor of affection. It was about combining custom with innovation, and showcasing the flexibility of Shochu in a means that feels each acquainted and thrilling.
“I’m proud to have had the chance to share this drink with others and sit up for seeing the place this journey takes me.”
The profitable cocktail, which featured Takara Shirashinken, Tomatin Whisky and Yakubita Fino, brings collectively explosions of Japanese-inspired flavour to create a very distinctive profitable entry.
Sam Chatterji, who bartends at Bittersweet in Leith, was the second runner up, utilizing Chuko Yokka Koji Awamori, Kirin’s Lychee and Okinawan Sea Salt, Everleaf Marine, and Champagne Sumac Cordial in his drink, the Barefoot Breezer.
Jordan Cornelius, bartender at Beneath Stairs in Leeds, was the third runner up, utilizing Shirayuki Honkaku Barley Shochu, Genmaicha roasted rice inexperienced tea soda, Fino sherry, Elderflower Liquor, Amaro Averna, Ms. Higher’s Bitters Grapefruit, and Ms. Higher’s Bitters Miraculous Foamer to create his drink, A Third Place.
Claudia Carrozzi, President of the UK Bartenders Guild mentioned: “Yearly we’re impressed by the entry submissions for the annual Nice Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest, and this 12 months was no exception.
“The creations that we noticed at this 12 months’s contest had been completely distinctive, embodying the spirit of their creators and with nods to Japanese affect, and showcased as soon as once more the creativity that’s current inside the trade.
“On the UKBG, we’re dedicated to strengthening our sector with gifted mixologists and bartenders throughout the nation and persevering with to develop the sector with the most effective expertise round. We’re very a lot trying ahead to subsequent 12 months’s competitors.”
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