Irish bartender Brian McGrory has beaten tough contenders to become the winner of the Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin 2017 bartending competition, which took place last 24th of August at the glamorous Lillie’s Bordello bar in Dublin’s city centre.
Brian, who works at Cask in Cork City, is a newcomer to the Irish bartending scene, but that didn’t stop him from taking the prize to the Rebel City.
Now he’ll be representing Ireland in Marrakesh, the home of the Opihr World Adventure Cocktail Competition for an experience of a lifetime. There, he’ll battle against regional winners from other countries. At Morocco, contenders will be challenged to test their ability to come up with the latest innovation and to embody the Opihr spirit of the “Intrepid Explorer.”
The finals will take place between the 18th to the 21st of September and the winner will receive a trip for two “to a mystery location on the spice route.”
The news come just a few weeks after Cask’s manager, Andy Ferreira, was chosen as the Irish finalist and travelled to Mexico City for Diageo’s World Class Bartending international finals.
Andrew Ennis, Brand Ambassador at Quintessential Brands pointed out Brian will represent Ireland this September against 12 other countries.
“Brian made a real impact on the judges with his raw, honest performance, and his expertly executed Opihr serves. Brian has been bartending for just over 6 months, but he has been tutored by some of Ireland’s finest bartenders in Cask, Cork,” Andrew said.
More information: opihr.com