Alcohol, Baltic, Brands, Competition, Good for Business, Latvia, Markets and Companies

Competition is organized by Amber Beverage Group, the leading wines and spirits company in the Baltics and brand owners of Riga Black Balsam, in collaboration with the Latvian Bartenders Federation.

The performance of contestants will be evaluated by an international judge panel based on the cocktails’ perfection, originality of presentation and taste. The judges represented at the tasting panel of Riga Black Balsam Global Cocktail Challenge 2016 are:

·  Ron Busman, President of the International Bartenders Association; 

· Mario Hofferer, champion of IBA Cocktail World 2011 and distinguished molecular         mixologist;

·  Raimonds Tomsons, one of the leading world sommeliers;

·  Valters Kaže, Chief Marketing Officer of Amber Beverage Group. 

Riga Black Balsam today is a well-established premium international bitter sold across more than 30 global markets today and dynamically growing the number of its admirers. The brand is an associate member of the International Bartenders Association (IBA) and a featured drink of the World Cocktails Championship (WCC) finals. In October 2016, Riga Black Balsam was chosen as the base spirit for his original recipe by the winner of Bartender’s Choice category at IBA World Cocktail Championship 2016 in Tokyo.

Raitis Akerblūms, President of Latvian Bartenders Federation, is looking forward to have a tough competition this year due to the high quality of participants, most of whom were seeded through national qualification contests prior the Global Challenge in Riga.  “The ultimate winner will not be determined by the originality of cocktail recipe only but will depend on each participant’s knowledge, talent, and, of course, some luck!” he points out.

Valters Kaže, Chief Marketing Officer of Amber Beverage Group and member of the jury, is looking forward to an exciting experience for the judge panel: “Comparing original creations of 60 best bartenders from around the world is both a pleasure and a challenge. No doubt, the best of the best will invest their efforts in making Riga Black experience unforgettable.”