ON TRADE / COMPETITIONS: Shaking it all about

Spirit brands love to get involved with cocktail competitions, taking bartenders all over the world, at considerable expense – but who actually benefits? By Geraldine Coates

Nowadays it’s almost impossible to find a spirits brand that is not involved in one or more cocktail competitions. Whether it’s a new launch or a mature player, competition sponsorship is increasingly a crucial element of the brand building toolkit. And the range and diversity of these competitions is almost bewildering – from the rather sedate affairs run by organisations such as the UK Bartenders Guild to worldwide extravaganzas sponsored by major brands. No one goes to more extreme lengths than 42 Below Vodka, which every year flies 42 bartenders from over 18 countries to its Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand, home of the brand. There those involved enjoy a week of cocktail madness with contestants required to mix while bungee jumping or hanging off helicopters over ice fields.

While one has to admire the energy (and envy the budget) devoted to the organisation of these events, there are a few obvious questions: What’s the point? Who do competitions benefit? What, if anything, do brands get out of their spend? What is the value to participants?

A rattling of the cages around the competitive arena produced some interesting insights.

The participants
The consensus among those who regularly take part in cocktail competitions is that they are fun events that provide useful opportunities to connect with likeminded souls, express their creativity and pick up new ideas. The prizes, which can be quite spectacular, are a big incentive too. For newcomers to the industry there are chances to develop communication techniques and confidence and take back these skills to their bars. Among the older hands there was a feeling that standards are declining because there are so many competitions and that young bartenders are more anxious to show off than to create drinks that actually taste good, never mind make it onto a cocktail list. Criticism of the fairness of some competitions also emerged alongside a desire for more feedback from the judges for those who don’t win so they can up their game.

But the positives far outweigh the moans. Craig Harper, currently brand ambassador for Martin Miller’s Gin, sums up the general mood: “Competitions are very important. Without them bartenders wouldn’t get to meet up socially anywhere near as much, or learn skills from city to city. They bring talent to the attention of bartenders, owners and brands, so we get the recognition we deserve and opportunities to progress in our industry. Although bartenders can be quite cynical about competitions, often with good reason, ultimately it’s good to put yourself on the spot, get out of your comfort zone and have a go.”

The brand sponsors

Drinks companies sponsor cocktail competitions for a variety of solid business reasons. Competitions provide valuable opportunities for bartenders to interact with their brands, who get insight into how the trade views their products. Brand owners gain exposure, raise their profile and, ideally, create brand loyalty – although the last is somewhat debatable. They are also looking for new serves and ideas on how to market their products.

Not all competitions have equal value, however, and each brand does it differently. Phil Keene, premiums manager for Diageo GB, explains the thinking behind Diageo’s World Class Bartender Competition, a prestigious international competition that every year is focused on a different brand within the company’s luxury spirits portfolio, which includes the likes of Tanqueray Gin and the Johnnie Walker marques. “World Class aims to challenge bartenders to think creatively and improve standards across the trade. It’s tied in with very intensive training that is not just about our brands but is genuinely category wide. The value for us is to work with bartenders and give them opportunities they don’t normally get to come up with innovative new drinks. Our bigger strategy is to ensure that it all ultimately filters down to consumers. We want the best bars to be able to offer consumers the right quality of serve to enable them to trade up. World Class is an important way to encourage bartenders to experiment and perfect their skills so they can do that.”

The brand specific competition that every bartender wants to win is the annual Grand Marnier Bartender of the Year. Every other year, it becomes an international event with 26 national finalists from different countries competing for the GM Grand Prix trophy in Monaco. Pierre Garbolino of Grand Marnier is proud of that success: “We wanted to come up with a way to encourage the trade to use Grand Marnier as the main spirit in a cocktail and explore its mixability and versatility. The Grand Marnier competition is of a very high standard with strict IBA (International Bar Association) rules and it attracts the best bartenders from all over the world.

“The international finalists for the Grand Prix trophy spend three days with us in Paris before the Monaco final. We take them to the top bars and to our distillery to see how Grand Marnier is made. So they all gain in-depth knowledge of our brand and get to know what our company is about. A major priority for us is to build long-term relationships with the on-trade. Despite the fact that Grand Marnier is a small family-owned business and we don’t have big budgets like many of our competitors, we were one of the first to organise a regular international competition.

“We’ve also just launched the first all-female competition for Cherry Marnier. That’s been very successful too, as bartending is a relatively male-dominated profession and the girls can often feel intimidated in competitions. We got fantastic participants who had never entered a cocktail competition before.”

The professional organisers

Paul McFadyen of IPB Bartenders, who runs the annual IPB competition, the other prize that every barkeeper aspires to, injects a dose of healthy reality. “There’s a bit of a me-too thing going on with the brands when it comes to cocktail competitions and I often feel that brands are not very clear as to what they actually want out of them. The main objectives seem to be to build bartender loyalty and to find a defining serve. Everyone’s looking for the next Mojito. Getting bartender loyalty is difficult as there are now so many competitions. It’s very cluttered and a lot of competitions are poorly executed. So bartenders may be connecting with your brand one week and a rival product the next week.

“I’m also not convinced that many of the current competitions deliver in terms of producing good new drinks. In my experience, very few winning entries ever make it onto a list. That said, there’s a lot of scope for doing things with more imagination and flair. The Wood’s Rum 100 Cocktail competition is one that stands out.

“At IPB we try and get away as far as possible from the run of the mill by just doing one major event a year. Also, although we’re sponsored by drinks brands, it’s not a brand competition, so the contestants have more freedom to experiment, not just do what they think the brands expect. The IPB competition is a real test of bartenders’ skills over three days, examining their creativity, techniques, presentation and personalities. Also, crucially, the winners are judged by their peers with the guests at the final having the last say.”

© db July 2007