Funkin’s annual Innovation Competition is back and upping the ante this year with its biggest prize yet.
This year in addition to landing a one year, part-time contract with Funkin (a prize which in itself is worth upwards of £6,000), the winner will also receive a trip to Bar Convent Berlin and £500 cash. Working with Funkin is an amazing prize, you will get to travel, meet bartenders and share ideas as well as working with the Funkin team themselves creating new signature serves and playing with new products before anyone else gets their hands on them.
Now they’ve gone and chucked in tickets to one of the best bar shows in the world as well. However the prize actually begins before you win, with all of the finalists benefiting from one of the most exciting new bartender tools of the last decade, The Crucible.
On September 11th the finalists will be invited down to London where they will receive a bespoke 2 hour immersive flavour session led by Crucible director Stu Bale. You will be shown the vast array of state of the art equipment the Crucible has to offer and what it can achieve in Stu’s expert hands (and slightly bonkers mind).
Following that session the finalists will go head to head for the 2018 Innovation Champion title in front of a panel of cocktail experts.
To get yourself in the game you have to come up with an original cocktail using Funkin that you believe will be a top-selling cocktail in 2019. The cocktail can be as complex or as simple as you like, however, it needs to be easy to replicate.
The cocktail can feature any spirit base you like (remember replicability) and with the Funkin range as vast* as it is you really have almost any flavour at hand as well. Your drink will need a total minimum of 25ml of purée which can be made up of either one Funkin Pro Purée AND a Funkin Pro Cocktail Syrup OR just Funkin Pro Beetroot Shrub.
Once you have your drink you will also be asked to explain why you believe your cocktail will be a best-seller in 200 words or fewer.
We have been involved in this competition for many years and thoroughly enjoy it each year. Previous winners have gone on to open their own consultancy firms, become brand ambassadors for leading spirits brands and also open their own bars. It really is an amazing platform to learn and grow and further your career, don’t just take our word for it though, here is 2017 Innovation Champion Aiste Valiukaite:
“Being the Funkin Innovation Champion is a unique opportunity and the expertise I am gaining is enriching my career. I am really enjoying my year with Funkin and now look forward to what lies ahead for me. This is an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience and I encourage fellow bartenders who feel they have innovative ideas that they’d like to share to enter.”
Entries close on August 6th. Entry form is below. Good luck and hopefully see you on the 11th September
*A full list of available products can be found at www.funkincocktails.co.uk