Uganda Waragi awards best cocktail bars
Ever wondered how your favorite cocktail comes together before it makes its way to your glass? Is there an art behind those masterfully created colorful drinks? Are there recipes to be followed? All this and more was on display on Tuesday evening at Sheraton Hotel at an event organized by Uganda Breweries.
Every year, under the Master Bar Academy (MBA), Uganda Breweries organizes training for bartenders and bar owners aimed at up-skilling them in the bar trade. This global initiative by Diageo Plc, the world’s largest spirits producer has trained 37,751 bartenders in 14 African countries on delivering professional service that heightens their guests’ experiences and maximizes their potential.
“The Master Bar Academy provides holistic training for bartenders and bar owners. They are trained on delivering better drinks and entertaining experiences in venues, given support and tips to ensure their business sustainability and profitability. We also inspire them with the latest cocktails, serves and trends from our world-leading brands to help keep bar menus appealing and up to date”, said Mark Barrett, Global Diageo Bar Academy Manager.
Through Kampala Cocktail Week, Uganda Waragi, Uganda’s premium gin has championed the cocktail agenda with crafty serves and ensuring every year, bars are nudged to go that extra mile to ensure delivery of perfect serves and a customer experience bound to leave a lasting impression.
At this event, Uganda Waragi and the Pearl Guide, the organizers of the annual cocktail showcase awarded three bars of the 30 that participated. Bushpig Backpackers won the Innovation Award, Liquid Silk emerged winner of the Outstanding Service award and Mythos Greek Taverna received the People’s Choice Award.
“The awards are meant to encourage the bars and bartenders to go an extra mile and outdo themselves not only during cocktail week but in their daily work. These three bars won because of their ingenuity in creating their special edition cocktail week menus and great customer service in their outlets”, said Rhona Namanya, Brand Manager, Uganda Waragi.
To close the night, the five top bartenders, picked out of a group of 35 who have been undergoing MBA training took part in a cocktail challenge that saw the winner walk away with a cash prize of USD1, 000, a brand new IPad and the title of Master Bar Tender 2016.
Geoffrey Yiga who emerged winner works at Himarao Restaurant and Bar and has been undergoing training for the past 8 Months.
The MBA spirits training is split into 3 stages; MBA 101 (Basic bar-tending skills and spirits knowledge), MBA 202 (an online quiz challenge) and MBA 303 (the cocktail master class): where the top 35 bar tenders from MBA 202 go through day long training and a cocktail challenge.
To crown it all, the event featured performances from The Mith and Nutty Neithan of the Bakuuwe Kyonywa fame.
