World over, for bars and bartenders, World Class is a brand that has a certain cachet. Every year, thousands of bartenders from around the world compete through the course of the year for the right to represent their country in the global finals of this three-day bartending competition. This year this major event was held in Sao Paulo towards the end of September.
Aashi Bhatnagar from Pune’s Cobbler and Crew won the right this year, to represent India. She was one among the 54 bartenders from around the world. “It feels like a fairy tale for me, but yes, dreams do come true,” says Aashi, 26.
A celebratory picture with Jacob Martin, World Class 2023 winner, in the centre | Photo Credit: Fabrizio Toniolo
During the course of the two days of the competition’s first round, each bartender created his or her cocktail over a series of four challenges, each linked to a unique theme and brand. Based on these challenges, as well as one executed beforehand, the top 12 were announced. Each challenge demanded ingenuity, expert technique, juror engagement, and finally, of course, the quality of the drink itself. For each challenge there were two jurors, and to make the cauldron even more extreme, the jurors were the creme de la creme of the global bar world.
Aashi participating in the Don Julio tequila challenge | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For her first challenge with Tanqueray No. 10, Aashi had to make it a Ten (an analogy for making something that is perfect), by creating two cocktails, a welcome drink and a classic re-imagined. At her stage as jurors for this were Ago Perrone, head of the bar program at London’s Connaught Hotel and Bannie Kang, 2019 World Class winner.
Like a duck to water, she held her stage with aplomb, turning out a series of cocktails that excelled, while impressing and charming her jurors and the crowd with her expertise and humour.
Word spread that there was a competitor at stage 2, who was one to watch out for, and over the two days the crowd gathered, to hear Aashi’s confident patter, taste her cocktails and take photos of a star in the making.
Aashi Bhatnagar at World Class | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For me, The hallmark of Aashi’s performance was the cocktails that she created for the Don Julio challenge, two tequila classics that she had to re-imagine for the future, the first was the Paloma, which she served banta style, made using a banta machine that she had brought from India, and the second a margarita, served in a tiny clay vessel. Drinks which were future forward, but with a pleasing touch of retro.
Aashi was also the only woman to feature in the top 12, and the first time ever since the competition’s inception in 2009, that an Indian had made it to this stage. Her key learnings were that it is important to trust the process and just give your all without thinking of the result, and yes, above all, stay calm and have the presence of mind.
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