Tsanislav Angelov climbs the podium in the iconic Bar Masters program

More than 150 professional bartenders embarked on exciting challenges and training during the sixth edition of the format, organized by Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria

Tsanislav Angelov won the prestigious first place in the final of the iconic Bar Masters program, which for the sixth consecutive year brought together the best bartenders in the country and allowed them to exchange experience and demonstrate their skills and creativity in cocktail making. The proven professional went through a series of challenges, and speaker panels and fought off competition from 150 bartenders to reach the final stage of the competition. It was held in two rounds on October 2, and in those rounds, Tsanislav Angelov stood out with his perfect execution and flawless signature cocktail “Bond in the Balkans”. It won the hearts of the audience, consisting of the participants' relatives, partners of Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria, and representatives of the teams responsible for developing the company's spirits portfolio in 29 countries. It impressed the esteemed jury, composed of Chelsie Bailey - European Brand Ambassador for the Schweppes brand, Alessandro Garneri - Master of Botanicals and Giuseppe Musso - Master Blender of MARTINI. In addition to the prestigious title "Bar Master of Bulgaria 2024", this year's winner also received a cash prize worth BGN 7,000. He was personally awarded by Coca-Cola HBC New Businesses Director Jaak Mikkel, who shared: "Bar Masters deservedly won the 1st place in Coca-Cola HBC’s ranking of best practices in HoReCa business last year - thanks to the enormous work and efforts of the Bulgarian team, as well as the proven high level of the participants in the program. Our vision is to be the leading 24/7 beverage partner, providing the right offerings for every occasion and time of day, and I believe this iconic program will continue to contribute to the development of the bartending community and cocktail culture in Bulgaria in line with growing consumer interest.”

Immediately after the winner - the second and third place in the sixth edition of the program went to Petar Bozhinov and Kris Arsov who showed remarkable skills and won cash prizes worth BGN 3,000 and BGN 2,000. Furthermore, thanks to Schweppes, the winner and the first runner-up will compete in a challenge with bartenders from 8 other countries at the Athens Bar Show. They will compete for the grand prize, namely a bartending course at the internationally acclaimed bar "Line", owned by the winner of the 2012 Bartender of the Year title for Greece and the country's representative at the World Finals in Brazil - Vasilis Kyritsis.

Since the start of the inspiring initiative, which unites the bartending community in Bulgaria, until today more than 700 professionals have participated in it, who undergo numerous challenges and trainings every year within the program. This year, for example, the edition kicked off with a two-day bartending event, under the name Bar Master Show. It provided a unique opportunity for over 100 visitors to learn the ins and outs of the craft through various themed speaker panels led by established names in the bartending industry in the country. Vasilis Kyritsis was also a special guest. After that, during the summer season, the participants planned their pop-up bars with original menus and concepts, and the best 23 of them could move on to the next stage - the bartending camp. This year it was held in Greece, where the professionals took part in interactive workshops led by renowned specialists, visited iconic establishments in Thessaloniki, and embarked on the challenge of discovering an interesting Greek ingredient to create an original Mediterranean-style cocktail. The best performers in this endeavor went on to the final third stage of the program, which consisted of two rounds. During the first round, called Stars Of Martini, the participants prepared 5 classic Martini cocktails in 5 minutes, and in the second round - The Signature Cocktail, they showed their skills and creativity by creating their signature cocktail.

At the end of the program, guests and participants enjoyed exquisite cocktails, unforgettable moments, and a pleasant atmosphere filled with vivid encounters and inspiration. All of this contributed to the successful conclusion of the initiative, whose main goal is not only to discover and reward the best bartenders in Bulgaria but also to create a community to share experiences, inspire the new generation of bartenders, and entertain.

Several leading brands from Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria's ever-evolving 24/7 portfolio joined the search for the best bartender in Bulgaria. Among them were Schweppes - known as the world's first carbonated soft drink, Naked Malt - the official whiskey partner of THE WORLD'S 50 BEST BARS, Gentleman Jack - the whiskey, which stands out for its uncompromising quality, Finlandia Vodka, Brugal rum with over 130 years of history, Bombay Sapphire, the most famous English gin, Jägermeister "MANIFEST" and Caffe Vergnano, the Italian coffee with 142 years of history.

Consume responsibly!

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