American
bartender, Masahiro Urushido, has been revealed as Chivas Regal’s first ever
Chivas Master, winning the iconic whisky brand’s
inaugural bartender competition in style at the NoMad hotel in New York (15th
July 2014).
Urushido
was announced as the winner following a tightly-contested final which saw him
impress an international panel of judges with his ‘The New Pal’ cocktail to
secure victory over the 12 other international competitors. He wins the
opportunity to work in partnership with Dave Arnold, inventor and co-founder of
Booker and Dax, a food science development company and lab dedicated to finding
solutions to real world food, beverage and cooking issues. The partnership will
see Urushido and Arnold collaborating on an inspirational concept which will be
revealed at the next Chivas Masters final in 2015.
Dave Arnold with winner Masahiro Urushido and Max Warner, Chivas Global Brand Ambassador |
The
13 finalists were all winners of the national Chivas Masters heats, which took
place around the world following the competition’s launch in April this year.
During the national heats, competitors were tasked with creating a new classic
cocktail that would stand the test of time - just as Chivas does - inspired by
one of the four great cocktail eras; the Classic Age (1880-1920) which saw the
birth of Chivas Regal; the Post War Boom (1945-1965) during which time, Chivas
12 was introduced; the Disco Years (1975-1990) which saw the brand become a
truly global icon, and the present modern Age of Revivalism.
During
the two-day final, the bartenders were asked to re-create one of the cocktails
that earned them a place in the final and also compete in a series of challenges
designed to test their creativity, style and mixology skills. Highlights of
these challenges included a milk-based cocktail pairing with Momofuku Milk Bar;
a cocktail pairing with a dish from Momofuku Ssäm Bar, experimenting with
carbonation with Dave Arnold; and presenting classic drinks at The Dead
Rabbit.
The
judging panel was comprised of leading experts in the world of food and drink,
including Ago Perrone, Director of Mixology at the David Collins-designed
Connaught Bar in London; Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry from The Dead Rabbit in
New York; and Max Warner, Chivas Global Brand Ambassador.
Dave
Arnold praised the overall performance of the competitors during the final round
commenting: “There were 13 talented bartenders for the judging panel to
consider. These are professionals from some of the most iconic venues in the
world so I would like to congratulate all of them for participating. The
cocktails prepared by Masahiro were particularly impressive, and I look forward
to working with him in the coming months."
Masahiro
Urushido commented: “It’s an honour to be chosen as the first Chivas Master. As
a bartender, I am well aware of the long heritage of Chivas so immersing myself
into the history of cocktails to create a drink that can stand the test of time
has been very inspirational. I am excited to share this experience with my
fellow bartenders and to introduce my ‘The New Pal’ cocktail to my customers in
New York. I hope that it encourages other bartenders around the world to create
new Chivas cocktails inspired by the great classics”.
Max
Warner, Global Brand Ambassador for Chivas Regal, commented: “From Australia to
Israel, Chile to China, there was talent from all over the world involved in the
competition and we are very excited with the success of the inaugural Chivas
Masters.
The
global cocktail scene is seeing a growing interest in classic-inspired modern
cocktails and, as a brand proud to be nurturing the bartending community, we
look forward to continuing to inspire the on-trade to create great cocktails
steeped in heritage, such as the one created by the very talented Masahiro
Urushido..”
All
competitors who took part in the final are now to conclude their trip with a
visit to the world’s premier cocktail festival ‘Tales of the Cocktail’ in New
Orleans, where Chivas is sponsoring the Best American/International Cocktail Bar
at the Spirited Awards.
Source: Richmond Towers Communications