Ace bartender, George Hunter of Sin+Tax has won the South Africa National leg of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2018. George was up against five other top bartenders in a fierce competition.
George made two cocktails in just seven minutes. His Amaro Cocktail using Amaro Di Angostura was called “Amaro-A-Day” and his Rum Cocktail using Angostura’s 7 Year Old Rum and Angostura aromatic bitters was called “Orphic”.
Having local and international (European Bartending School in Barcelona) bartending qualifications, George is no stranger to the cocktail competition circuit. “Feeling truly humbled to have won such a prestigious competition. I am extremely excited to represent South Africa with amazing products like the Amaro Di Angostura, the unmatched quality of Angostura Bitters and their award-winning rum range. Looking forward to the next stage.” says Hunter.
According to Head Judge, Dino Jose Batista, the standard of entries was extremely high. “Recipes truly showcased interesting expressions of the Angostura range and what a mixologist is able to achieve with such distinguished products. What sealed the deal for me with George Hunter, was the balance of his cocktails and the interesting combinations he managed to incorporate in his drinks with no one element overshadowing the other.” says Batista.
George will now move on to The Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2018: Africa and Middle East Regional, that will take place in Cape Town on 23 October 2017. Following this heat, the winner of the Regional will move on to the Final of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2018 to be hosted in Trinidad during February 2018. Finalists enjoy the experience of a lifetime while in Trinidad and Tobago, with a tour of the Angostura Distillery and Museum, visits to local steel bands, the chance to “play ’mas” in full costume on Carnival Tuesday, and much more! It’s no wonder that the Competition has grown from strength to strength —in fact, the AGCC 2016 saw the largest number of entrants to date: 287 participants, drawn from 900 entrants, competed from 36 countries.
The winner of The Final Heat will win the title of the “Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2018 Champion”, US$10,000 and a two-year contract to serve as the Angostura Global Brand Ambassador, representing Angostura aromatic bitters, Angostura orange bitters, Angostura Rums and Amaro di Angostura.
