Originally published on Tuesday, 16th March 2010

Cocktail World Cup

Get hold of an award-winning drink from Cocktail World Cup contestants LAB for a fiver!

Why’s it always sporting events that get the podium prize-givings and international hoo-ha? World Cup fever and Olympic construction madness aside, why don’t we ever hang big gold medals off the necks of those who really make a difference, like doctors, teachers and cocktail makers?

Here at UJ we know the life-affirming quality of a truly spectacular cocktail, and we don’t even need to run around a track to find one. The Cocktail World Cup, like the Olympics of the Mixology world, annually brings together top bartenders from around the world to create and compete, with the Grand Final taking place in New Zealand this month and none other than London’s LAB boys, Stuart Fritz and Danny Winter alongside James Wynn-Williams from All Star Lanes representing the UK.

They battled past drinks served in electric guitars and English fountains, overcame gimmicks like alcohol-soaked sandwiches and scones, and stormed to victory as the WildCard winners with their Pacific Dawn cocktail, taking inspiration from the commonwealth colonies incorporating coffee from Kenya, Indian cardamon, treacle from West Indies, Navy Rum from Guyana infused with vanilla tobacco, liquorice from Southern Europe and 42BELOW Manuka Honey Vodka from New Zealand. The fragrant cocktail was served at 42 degrees centigrade in silver goblets with 42BELOW Kiwifruit jelly limes.

And you don’t need to fly to the far South to partake in a little LAB loving – simply pop round to their London haunt from today until Friday 19th, mention either Danny or Stuart’s names and get hold of one of their special competition concoctions for a fiver. Apart from the Pacific Dawn there’ll also be martinis and punches which they’ll present to the judges in New Zealand.

So – take one for the team and feel like a winner – and you don’t even need to get out of breath.

INFO
Offer available at LAB, 16th-19th March.
£5 cocktail, one per person.
12 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TQ
www.cocktailworldcup.com