Justin Ballantyne won the semi-final round of the Mount Gay Rum Bartender Competition, held on Thursday, June 23, at the Phase II Pan Grove pan yard.
Ballantyne mixed his way to US$500 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Regional Finals in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The internationally trained bartender certified bar instructor, who presently teaches at UWI open campus, out mixed 10 other competitors, some of whom are his very good friends.
The contestants were: Alleem Hosein, Tyrone Benjamin, Candis Francis, Justin Ballantyne, Dale Sebro Joseph, Sade Pierre, Miguell Jateh Cruickshank, Devon Samlalsingh and Kishion Guillaume.
Ballantyne’s cocktail named The Lost Barrel was a simple story, he said, “As we head into summer we want more relaxing refreshing drinks such and highballs and coolers just as back when the sun was hot in the sugarcane fields in Barbados, they would make these amazing elixirs to keep them going not too sweet but the right balance. And I have discovered that recipe to share with everyone today.”
He will represent Trinidad and Tobago alongside other winners from several Caribbean countries. The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, and St. Barts are among the other countries participating in this international competition.
The contestants impressed the judges with the standard of the cocktails and told Loop it was world-class which augured well for the industry.
The winner of the final competition will take home an all-expenses-paid trip to the London Rum Festival.
The Lost Barrel Cocktail Recipe:
2oz Mount Gay Black Barrel
0.5oz Ginger Syrup
10z Cucumber Shrub
1 oz Lemon Juice Topped with Club Soda
Garnishes:
Cucumber or Maraschino Cherries
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