Look What Went Down The Snappiest Bartending Competition At Belvedere Relearn Natural’18

In its third edition this year, Belvedere Vodka brought together some of the coolest bartenders from across the country to create cocktails using locally grown, natural ingredients and a whole lot of creativity. 

120 bartenders, 40 outlets and 4 cities – spanning Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the first two rounds challenged the bartenders’ ingenuity and technique. 

From memories of smell, taste and texture to stories of the bartenders’ first tryst with their ingredient of choice, each Belvedere cocktail had a story to tell.

The finale, hosted at the verdant CAARA Farms in the heart of New Delhi, saw the 12 finalists forage through fruit orchards and herb gardens. In continuing with the platform’s tradition, none of the ingredients came out of a bottle and were all naturally processed in the minutes leading up to the final round.

The winning cocktail – The Belvedere Hitchhiker by Trisha Koparde (from Bombay Canteen) juxtaposed the sweetness of honey water with the bite of pepper and rocket leaves to impress judges Prateek Sadhu (Masque), Yangdup Lama (Cocktails and Dreams Beverage Studio, Ankur Chawla (Sommelier and Bar Expert) and Mandhir Singh (Moët Hennessy India). 

Besides now being the creator of India’s coolest cocktail, Trisha will soon also jet away to Poland for an immersive knowledge series with Belvedere’s global ambassadors and experts.

Moreover, the top six bartenders of the competition have been initiated into the India-chapter of the Belvedere Bartenders’ Collective. The Collective is a one-of-a-kind incubator for young bartenders to hone their skills and redefine cocktail trends alongside their global counterparts. Best part? you can get these with Belvedere. 

Know more about them on their website.