The Scottish heat of the 42 BELOW Cocktail World Cup, was probably one of the most intense heats I have ever witnessed during my career in this industry.
It would been wrong to not give a special mention to Jody Buchan from 99 Bar & Kitchen in Aberdeen, who had to fight it out with Megs from Bramble for a qualifying place.
The standard from these two amazing bartenders made it extremely difficult for the judges to decide who should take the spot, so the decider was a free pour test, a task that competitors have previously faced out in New Zealand at the Global Finals of Cocktail World Cup.
With both bartenders being perfectionists who would normally use measures in their bars, nobody could predict who was going to take the winning spot. Surprisingly, both kept hitting the mark, with the third attempt being a difficult round to decide as Jody was over the mark and Megs was under, both by a few mls.
It wasn’t until the fourth and final attempt that the outcome was unanimous and in the end, Megs qualified for Team Scotland. If we were able to take a fourth, without a doubt Jody would’ve been on that team, and he would’ve been a great team member.
This special mention wouldn’t be complete without telling readers about the great work that Jody has been doing for ‘Help A Bartender’, a foundation set up by Ajax Kentish of Hawksmoor, Guildhall.
The foundation was set up to raise money to help his friend Elias Vlahos, who needs extensive surgery and treatment after a terrible motorcycle accident. Once the charity has helped Elias, it will continue to help others in the service industry who have fallen on hard times.
To help raise awareness, Jody had recently undertaken a fast for 28 days, cutting out solid food and alcohol, putting himself through some of the rigors Elias’ body went through during his recuperation.
The Aberdeen 99 team have already managed to help Jody raise over £2K through various activities and today (Tuesday 17th July 2012) the guys are inviting all bartenders/enthusiasts or charitable folk to attend the Aberdeen Bartenders Club BBQ on the 17th July where, again, they’ll be raising more funds for Help A Bartender.
The BBQ will consist of good food, some good drinks, 5-a-side tournament and a small ‘bragging-rights’ comp where the judges will be joined by Ajax.
We here at 42BELOW and Bacardi Brown Forman Brands want to wish the guys all the best with ‘Help A Bartender’ and, to congratulate them for the amazing work that they’re doing for the industry.
Please lend all of your support to such a thoughtful cause. For more information and to follow ‘Help A Bartender’ and their activities, visit:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/theaka or https://twitter.com/#!/jodybuchan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Help.A.Bartender.Online
- WordPress: http://helpabartender.wordpress.com/tag/help-a-bartender/
- e-Mail: jodybuchan@btinternet.com