Latest news with #Bulleit
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USBG PRESENTS WORLD CLASS SPONSORED BY DIAGEO CROWNED NIC WALLACE AS THE 2025 U.S. BARTENDER OF THE YEAR
The nation's Top 30 bartenders participated in a series of challenges to send one champion to the Global Finals in Toronto NEW YORK, May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The thirteenth season of the United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG) Presents World Class Sponsored By Diageo has named Nic Wallace as the 2025 U.S. Bartender of the Year. Hosted in Atlanta, GA, Nic Wallce of Darien, GA was crowned as the winner after a three-day, five-part challenge competition showcasing the best in class cocktail craftsmanship. The acclaimed competition brought the country's Top 30 Competitors to test their bartending skills, agility and creativity. Nic Wallace impressed judges with his attention to detail and creative showmanship to earn the honor of representing the U.S. at the Global Finals in Toronto, Canada from September 27th to October 2nd. Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: Nic Wallace brings over 20 years of experience in bartending and hospitality, honing both his craft and mixology skills along the way. For more than a decade, he's been a dedicated competitor in the acclaimed World Class competition and has become a key figure in its community. "This was my chance to represent Georgia—Atlanta, specifically—as the only competitor from the state. I had to show up and bring the South home a championship," Nic Wallace said. "I want to show people that no matter how much you want something, no matter how long it takes—you can get it." This year, the Top 30 National Finalists participated in three challenges during the first two days. Competitors were challenged with crafting a signature Bulleit cocktail with a Southern dish, created two tequila cocktails with Don Julio 70 Cristalino, and raced to make six DIAGEO Reserve cocktails in an eight-minute Speed Round, judged on balance, efficiency, skill, and hospitality. From there, the Top 10 National Finalists were revealed after the second day where competitors then competed in two additional challenges for the title of the 2025 World Class U.S. Bartender Of The Year. Nic Wallace ultimately came out on top and was named champion after creating the Soul Of The South and All Glowed Up cocktails that impressed the judges. "In my first year as USBG Executive Director, it has been incredible to witness the talent and dedication of this year's U.S. Finals competitors," said Bo Shuff. "As we wrap up the thirteenth season and look ahead, we're excited to continue evolving the World Class U.S. program, ensuring it supports and uplifts bartenders in their craft and the broader hospitality community." Cassandra Ericson, Manager of On-Premise Channel Marketing at Diageo North America, shared, "The creativity and skill shown by the bartenders this year have been incredible. At Diageo, we are committed to supporting their development through resources like and it's fulfilling to see how the program and competition continues to inspire and elevate the bartending community." Nic Wallace will compete alongside top national finalists from approximately 60 countries for a chance to claim the prestigious title of World Class Global Bartender of the Year. The competition challenges and inspires the next generation of bartenders, rewarding those who push the boundaries of creativity, storytelling, and technique. Beyond the competition, World Class serves as a vital platform, offering training, mentorship, and industry insights to support a global network of over 400,000 bartenders. For those interested in competing for the title of U.S. Bartender of the Year, prospective applicants are encouraged to apply for the 2026 USBG Presents World Class Sponsored By Diageo program. Follow @WorldClassUS on Instagram or visit to learn more and be alerted when applications open this summer. Wondering what it takes to be crowned the U.S. Bartender of the Year? Here are Nic's recipes that helped him earn his title as U.S. Bartender Of The Year and to inspire your next cocktail creation: Soul of The South Ingredients: 1.25oz Bulleit Bourbon 6 Dashes Talisker 10 Year Old 0.25oz Apple Brandy 0.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice 0.75oz Apple Cider Syrup Garnish: Thin Apple Fan Preparation: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain over fresh ice a short mug. Garnish with thin apple fan. All Glowed Up Ingredients: Preparation: Add ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake briefly and strain into mug filled with crushed ice. Garnish with dehydrated apple slices. Cocktails created for the duration of this year's competition can be found on Instagram using the handle @WorldClassUS. When showcasing your own mixology or sampling award-winning recipes from this year's competitors, USBG and DIAGEO remind you to do so responsibly. For additional information about the program and for details on the upcoming global competition, follow hashtags #worldclassus and #worldclass2025 on Instagram, and check us out online at and About USBGFounded in 1948, the United States Bartenders' Guild® is the national, member-led not-for-profit association of bartenders and other hospitality professionals that unites and elevates the bar industry through education, community, and advocacy. Through its network, the USBG connects members with peer-to-peer learning, expert instruction, service projects, and skills-based competition, all while fostering a fun and healthy environment and reinforcing the importance of the 'third place' in neighborhoods across the country. About DIAGEODiageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance, visit Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow us on Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA. View original content: SOURCE DIAGEO Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
This pub with rooms in an underrated Scottish coastal town should be your next weekend break
I've never laughed out loud at a Wi-Fi password before, but 'westendgulls' made me roar. It also helped me take a guess that – as I looked at the smart Ercol steam-bent wooden chair at the desk in my room and the bright, chic colour scheme surrounding it –that the Southgate in the beautiful little Fife fishing town of Crail, was a dream project for a gay couple. And probably from London. Like recognises like. It's exactly the kind of thing I'd do with an old pub in a picturesque fishing town in Scotland with my husband if we wanted to leave the capital. And we, too, would go to town with a disco pun to access the internet. It turns out, on chatting with the owner in the bar, that I was right. Although he has roots here in Crail - his grandfather had a cottage here, which was the family's summer retreat - he and his husband took a knackered-out hotel at the top of the hill above the harbour and worked magic on it. There was, apparently, mild panic from the landlord of the only other pub in town, that his business would be impacted, but he was placated when he realised that The Shoregate wouldn't take away from his loyal clientele who come for fish and chips and their £9 Pensioners Special (a great deal, no denying). The excellent thing about Crail is that it hasn't been minced like Margate, and reinvented. It's not cool, which makes it cool. Tourists come for the coastal castle walk, Crail Pottery, and the proximity to the golf at St Andrews. The Shoregate has immediately attracted locals as well as weekenders, and on a Friday evening the bar is full of friends with bouncy puppies, and local gossip. It could be any pub in Fife, apart from the brass pelican and monkey lights, the bonkers playlist of Nineties bangers (Urban Cookie Collective and Betty Boo), and the feeling that a lot of money and time has been spent tarting the place up, with pristine wood and stained-glass windows. There's also a cocktail list that you are unlikely to find anywhere else along this coastline. The Peruvian Pear comes with pear liqueur and ABA pisco (they missed out on a good pun there), and Two Drunk Monks mixes Bulleit rye, green chartreuse and Benedictine. Upstairs (a sign warns you in the hallway that the building is much older than your knees, and the stairs are wonky), there are four bedrooms, each with polished-up original architectural detail (windows set into the stone walls, ceiling beams), nice Missoni-style graphic carpets, comfortable sofas, and a colour scheme with a shade of orange that I imagine was laboured over, swatch after swatch, before being chosen. Pristine modern bathrooms have locally sourced Arran bath products and a wild gorse room spray, which smells like delicious biscuits. On arrival: glittery pink macarons next to the tea- and coffee-making tray, along with locally distilled gin miniatures. There's no room service, but they say they will nip up with a bottle of champagne if you really want one. Everything at The Shoregate is done really well. It feels like the family business that it obviously is, and the owners and staff couldn't be more in love with the town. As I walked about the cobbled alleyways and along the harbour, I fantasised about having a little cottage here myself. I'd be visiting The Shoregate for lunch or dinner at least once a week. Food is accomplished, ingredients are locally sourced, and dishes served, of course, on Crail Pottery. Portions are a little absurd though: the sourdough (which was really ciabatta) came as a half loaf, sliced up. My terrine would have served two. Ditto the tapenade-crusted pollock. I imagine the charcoal roast chateaubriand for two would do four. My only real complaint was that much of what I had was a little too… fried. But then, this isn't the kind of place to come for a salad for dinner. The dining room is pleasingly austere but feels as upbeat and breezy as the rest of the building. Flashes of colour come from the overhead lampshades, in that aforementioned signature orange. The windows face directly down the hill towards the sea, and on a sunny morning, the whole room glows, and reminds you why people move to these little coastal towns if they weren't born here in the first place. It's a big dose of happy. Just as the eggs Benedict portions are. Again: The Shoregate delivers in quantity as well as quality. And the place has a ton of atmosphere. I was woken up at dawn by gulls, possibly flying from the west, who knows. I felt far away from my own bed, but also curiously at home. Doubles from £180, breakfast included. There are no accessible bedrooms due to the stairs.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minneapolis bartender will compete for U.S. Bartender of the Year
The U.S. Bartenders Guild has unveiled its Top 30 World Class U.S. Bartenders, a list of finalists slated to compete in a national bartending contest this spring. Among the finalists is bartender Jarod Schiebout from Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis. Schiebout, who joined Spoon and Stable in 2023, will head to Athens, Ga., for the National Finals in May, where just one bartender will earn the right to represent the U.S. in the global finals, where someone is crowned the bartender of the year. He has been mentored by Soigné Hospitality's Beverage Director Jessi Pollak, who won the Diageo World Class National Finals and was named Bartender of the Year in 2022. She was the first Minnesota-based bartender to qualify for the national competition. The competition's judging panel narrowed the field from 100 down to 30 for the national finals, selecting 10 bartenders each from three regions. To get there, each mixologist had to breathe "new life into a retro classic cocktail" with a menu of three drinks that showcased the drink's past, present, and future. Judges then recreated one cocktail from each menu for a blind tasting. At the finals in Athens, bartenders will be tested on their ability to highlight the flavor profile of a Bulleit variant in a cocktail paired with a southern dish, draw inspiration from "Mexican commerce and community life" for a cocktail with locally sourced ingredients, and create high-quality drinks quickly from a pop-up menu.
