Two bartenders will represent the UK in the global final of the Disaronno Mixing Star competition: Luca Missaglia from London’s Quo Vadis and Elsa Holmberg from Nottingham’s Brass Monkey.
They won regional heats at The Light Bar in Shoreditch, London, and The Black Dog Ballroom in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Second in the London heat was Renaud Gregoire from the Corinithia Hotel, London, while in Manchester the runner-up was Massimo Lisi from L’Aperitif Restaurant in Stranraer.
Contestants from 10 countries will compete at the final in Berlin in July for the prize of a trip to Mumbai, where they will act as a “star bartender” in a Bollywood movie.
Luca Missaglia (pictured below), who was previously at O Bar and Lab in London, said: “Disaronno is a brand that people associate with Italian culture, tradition and history so I hope that my experience from working at bars in both Milan and London will help me to do the brand justice at the final.”
Elsa Holmberg (pictured above) said: “I am excited to be part of such a big competition and I look forward to meeting all of the other finalists in Berlin. I have learnt a lot from the experienced and professional bartenders on the Nottingham bar scene and I am inspired by the challenge of competing on a global level with a brand that really stands out in its category.”
Disaronno brand manager Will Thompson added: “Mixing Star is a fantastic way for us to engage with and reward bartenders in addition to communicating the brand’s versatility across a variety of cocktail occasions. Disaronno has seen annual sales growth of eight per cent in the UK from 2010 to 2011 and is currently the UK’s number one non-cream liqueur.”
