Durban — KwaZulu-Natal’s crème de la crème of drinkmakers are looking forward to showing the world how quality beverages are made.
Two KZN mixologists – independent Jason Andrews and Jono Harrison of Alchemy – are among nine who will compete in the national finals of this year’s Diageo World Class competition in Johannesburg, starting on Sunday and finishing on Tuesday.
The winner will vie for the international top spot in Shanghai.
The national finalists will face five challenges, each with its own score requirements. The top six will be chosen after the first two challenges and will compete in the remaining three.
The winner will compete in the international finals in Shanghai from September 9-13.
Andrews, 41, from Ballito, is pleased to be competing on such a major platform, having entered multiple times.
“I first entered in 2012 and most years after. I have qualified for the regional final a few times but have only made it to the national level once.
“World Class is the biggest cocktail competition in the world and is such a great platform to promote the amazing bartenders in SA. I’m really excited this year because the standard in the qualifiers has been really high,” he said.
He said plenty of preparation had gone into ensuring that he clinched a place to compete in Shanghai. This included research about brands and flavour combinations and looking for ideas that would make him stand out.
“This year I’m trying to keep my recipes simple yet bring in some complexity to my serves. I’d also like to try to immerse the judges into my performance as best as I can,” said Andrews.
Midlands-born but Ballito-raised Harrison, 37, an executive chef at Alchemy, said he was looking forward to the competition.
“To be honest, I’m very nervous but in the same breath, I am confident and mostly excited to have the opportunity to compete at this level. For me, it’s about competing against the best of the best and this is not an opportunity that comes around often,” he said.
Harrison said he had thoroughly prepared for the showdown and had spent the past few weeks practising.
“I am originally a chef. So, coming from a chef world and into mixology is something fun for me because I get to play with flavours and now it’s like a liquid concept, as opposed to food.
“For me this is about having a good time and learning from people.”
He said people could look forward to originality from him, adding that he used organic and locally sourced ingredients to create his magic.
Harrison said he was inspired to get into the hospitality industry by his love for food and restaurants.
He said that while most people understood what being a mixologist entailed, he was of the view that they did not understand the full extent of it and the potential behind it.
“Being a mixologist is something that should not be frowned upon. It is something that involves a bit of science and creativity and requires plenty of dedication.
“I think it’s a great career choice for a lot of youngsters that want to do something different with their lives and explore a little bit,” said Harrison.
He said that when he was not in the kitchen, he could be found surfing or spending time with his 9-month-old daughter.
Independent on Saturday