Out of more than 524 competitors, nine national coffee cocktail champions came together in Spain to battle for the global title.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Photos courtesy of Licor 43
Hailing from Hamburg, Germany, Julia Engel has been crowned world champion of the annual competition Bartender & Barista Challenge, in which professional baristas and bartenders pair coffee and Licor 43 spirits.
After winning their national Licor 43 championships in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Estonia, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and the United States, nine winners flew to Spain for the grand finale in late September. They spent two days with judges and educators in masterclasses and participated in creative competitions leading up to the big finish.
“This year, we returned to our roots in Cartagena, Licor 43’s homeland, and also increased the competition’s focus on education,” says Zamora Company’s chief marketing officer for spirits, Blanca de la Infiesta. The Bartender & Barista Challenge has previously been held in Madrid and Gran Canaria. “For eight years now, we’ve been exploring the natural marriage of aromas and flavors between Licor 43 and coffee, but our mission for 2024 was also to take our community deeper into the science and knowledge of cocktails.”
To achieve this, Licor 43 brought together experts, authors, and champions from the spirits and coffee industries. On the coffee side of things, former Dutch Barista Champion and authorized Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) trainer Merijn Gijsbers instructed the nine mixologists and baristas in cupping and pairing coffee with the popular and versatile Licor 43, which is notable for its custom combination of citrus, coriander, vanilla, and lemon blossom characteristics.
After their various seminars, the champions competed in three challenges: the Speed Up Challenge, in which they were tasked with preparing four perfect Carajillo 43s in the quickest time possible; the Mystery Box Challenge, which saw finalists graded on their use of cocktail clarification techniques by 2022 Bartender & Barista Challenge winner Yefferson Avila; and the Switching Challenge, where they called on skills learned from world-renowned mixologist Iain McPherson’s seminar on alternative flavor creation.
Julia’s drink, A Day In the Life, brought together Licor 43 Original, Bokma Oude Friesche Genever, Hörner Pinot Noir Rosé 2021, and “Candy Crush” filter-brewed coffee. As one of three finalists, Julia, a bartender at Koer Bar in Hamburg, prepared her drink for the judges on the final evening of the competition and was named the winner. Her prizes include €3,000 worth of training, materials, and equipment.
BARTENDER & BARISTA CHALLENGE FINALISTS
Ricardo Alexandre Leal Da Souza, Brazil
Andres Felipe Kisic, Colombia
Josué Chavarría, Costa Rica
Jirí Malis, Estonia
Julia Engel, Germany
Daniel Diaz, Guatemala
Daniel López Romero, Mexico
Jean Paul Poblet Clemente, Perú
Mike Vander Horn, USA
BARTENDER & BARISTA CHALLENGE JUDGES
Iain McPherson
Merijn Gijsbers
Stay tuned for information for the 2025 edition of the Bartender & Barista Challenge!
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