After last year's final of the SWISS COCKTAIL OPEN Corona had to be held on a somewhat smaller scale for reasons of size, this year it was the walls of Hall 550 in Zurich Oerlikon that limited the size of this highlight of the Swiss bar scene. Numerous visitors cheered on the 24 Barkeeper who had qualified for the grand final on 2 May 2022 from over 60 entries.
All those working in Switzerland Barkeeper could apply for the event by submitting a new cocktail creation of their own according to the specified criteria. When creating their liquid-culinary works of art, the Barkeeper only had to integrate one ingredient each from a Swiss producer and an international brand into the recipe.
A homemade ingredient, fresh products and a niche product were also permitted. While other cocktail competitions often have a very small pool of permitted spirits, the participants of the SWISS COCKTAIL OPEN had access to the products of over 80 brand sponsors.
Networking Area & Table Fair
The specially created networking area and the table fair with 16 exhibitors offered the public even more reasons to attend the exciting finale in Hall 550 in Zurich Oerlikon. The Barkeeper, as well as the visitors, could get to know the specialities of 16 event partners.
All 24 finalists had seven minutes to present their creation to the two jury groups. These consisted of Daniel Staub (responsible for On Board Consumption Beverages at Swiss Airlines), Judy Lauber (Karel Korner, Lucerne), Thomas Blum (Agroscope), Wolfgang Bogner (Tales Bar, Zurich), Sarah Madritsch (winner of SWISS COCKTAIL OPEN 2021) and Raymond Maurer (communications expert). Bruno Hunkeler, a veteran of Barkeeper, ensured as jury president that the time limit was adhered to and that the jury assessments were valid.
Punctually at 6.30 pm, Michael Zotter (initiator of the SWISS COCKTAIL OPEN) announced the names of the six Barkeeper who had qualified for the second round. In this round, the finalists competed again with their cocktail recipe, which was tasted and evaluated by the newly composed jury trio.
In contrast to the first round, the six Barkeeper now had an additional minute to discuss the story or thoughts about their drink with the storytelling jury and the audience.
The best cocktail in Switzerland 2022
In the end, Valentin Aleksandrowicz's creation "Le Voyage en Drakkar" was the most convincing. The Barkeeper from Njørden Restaurant, Aubonne, chose a base of 1653 Old Barrel Rum from Distillerie Studer, Falernum d'Absinthe and vanilla syrup from Monin for his drink, complemented with pineapple juice and fresh lime juice. The "best cocktail of Switzerland 2022" is served on crushed ice and a decoration of berries, a dehydrated orange and mint.
Le Voyage en Drakkar
Winning drink SWISS COCKTAIL OPEN 2022
by Valentin Aleksandrowicz
Njørden Restaurant, Aubonne
| 4 cl | 1653 Old Barrel Rum |
| 2 cl | Le Falernum d'Absinthe |
| 1.5 cl | Vanilla syrup (Monin) |
| 6 cl | Pineapple juice |
| 1.5 cl | fresh lime juice |
Decoration: Pink berries, caramelised orange with absinthe, dehydrated orange, mint
Preparation: Shaker
As the winner of the biggest cocktail competition of the year, Valentin Aleksandrowicz wins an exclusive private event at and with whisky legend Claudio Bernasconi. The founder of the largest whisky bar in the world, Devil's Place in the Waldhaus St. Moritz, and owner of an exclusive whisky collection, opens his doors to him and five companions for an exclusive look into his private collection with numerous rarities.
Valentin Aleksandrowicz will also receive a wildcard for the qualification in the category Barkeeper of the year at the SWISS BAR AWARDS 2023 and a double-page portrait in the trade magazine BAR NEWS worth CHF 4,950.
Second place went to Barkeeper Maurice Angst , from Kreissaal Bar, Bern. With his Vieux Carré twist "Lavende nous Portera", he placed ahead of Benjamin Hetze from Bar am Wasser, Zurich. The latter came third with his creation "The Early Bird".
Next implementation in 2023 in planning
The SWISS COCKTAIL OPEN will also take place in 2023. Information for partners and Barkeeper will be published in good time on the website swisscocktailopen.ch and in the trade magazine BAR NEWS.
Ranking List 2nd Final Round
| Rank | Name | Local | Drink | Appearance Max. 20 | Aroma Max. 25 | Taste Max. 55 | Storytelling Max. 10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Valentin Aleksandrowicz | Njørden Restaurant, Aubonne | Le Voyage en Drakkar | 14.0 | 18.3 | 42.2 | 7.0 | 81.5 |
| 2. | Maurice Fear | Kreissaal Bar, Bern | Lavande nous portera | 14.7 | 19.2 | 36.7 | 9.0 | 79.5 |
| 3. | Benjamin Hetze | Bar on the waterfront, Zurich | The Early Bird | 15.3 | 15.8 | 31.2 | 10.0 | 72.3 |
| 4. | Luca Margnini | Barrio, Fribourg | I am a carrot | 12.7 | 15.8 | 34.8 | 8.0 | 71.3 |
| 5. | Fabian Baumgartner | George Bar & Grill | Lucifer's Choice | 16.7 | 15.8 | 31.2 | 6.0 | 69.7 |
| 6. | Zoltan Zuggo | Verve by sven, Bad Ragaz | Sex on the River Rocks | 18.7 | 13.3 | 25.7 | 6.0 | 63.7 |
