Ben Hills from Browns in Liverpool has been declared the winner of the Chase Cup international cocktail competition.
He triumphed in the final held at the Rock the Farm Festival at the Chase Distillery farm in Herefordshire on Sunday (August 31).
Entrants were asked to devise a recipe using at least 50ml of Chase Vodka or Williams Chase Gin, including limited editions, as well as ingredients from a “mystery box” sourced from within 12 miles of the distillery.
Judges for the final included James Chase from Chase Distillery, Xanthe Clay from The Daily Telegraph, international rum ambassador Ian Burrell, Simon Difford of Difford’s Guide, and Dominic Jacobs of The Running Horse Pub and The Whip in London’s Mayfair.
Ben will enjoy an all-inclusive trip for two to Chateau Constantin Chase in Provence, followed by an all-expenses-paid trip to the five-star Verzon House Hotel in Herefordshire. He will also have an opportunity to work alongside Chase for the remainder of 2014 in a brand ambassador’s role.
The other UK finalists who won in regional heats included Robin Wilke of London Cocktail Club, Daniel Oliver Warren of The Savoy in London, Johnny Brissenden of Soho House in London, Clem Oliver Eastel of Rain Check in Bath, and Danny Whelan of Kelvingrove Cafe in Glasgow.
The four bartenders competing from overseas were Michael Kampmann of Les Trois Rois in Basel in Switzerland, Jonas Hald of Schwarz-Weiß Bar in Stuttgart in Germany, Santiago Ortiz of Bobby Gin in Barcelona in Spain, and Shane Hoffman of The Pharmacy in Knokke-Heist in Belgium.
Ben is pictured with William Chase, the owner of Chase Distillery, and James Chase, its marketing director.
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