NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Bombay Sapphire and Tales of the Cocktail Foundation have teamed up to once again launch Most Imaginative Bartender, a competition that aims to inspire the bartending community to embrace their creative outlets and showcase what drives their inspiration behind the bar. Returning for its fifteenth year and third season hosted by TOTCF, MIB reinforces its renewed focus on what drives bartenders beyond creative cocktails.
Bartenders in the U.S. and Canada are invited to register for the competition between now and August 21st by visiting www.mostimaginativebartender.com. Applicants are asked to create a cocktail featuring either Bombay Sapphire or Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru as well as provide a photo, video, or written depiction of their creative outlet.
Following the application process, 24 Semi-Finalists will be invited to compete in-person within a brand-new Semi-Final competition framework that brings creativity front and center. The Semi-Final will feature a panel of judges including representatives of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, Bombay Sapphire, and established industry personalities who will evaluate the bartenders’ creative outlets, cocktails, and how the two are linked.
Twelve finalists will be selected and provided the opportunity to visit the Home of Bombay, Laverstoke Mill. Over the four days, finalists will not only experience the top-tier hospitality of select cocktail bars and restaurants in London but also receive mentorship from innovators within and apart from the drinks industry.
Furthermore, the finalists will each receive up to $3,000 as a Creative Grant from Tales of the Cocktail Foundation which will allow the competitors to build a business plan to be presented in the Canvas Challenge. The Canvas Challenge, which comprises half of the Final Competition of MIB, asks the finalists how they would bring their creative outlet to life for their community.
The finalist with the highest combined score of the two Finals Challenges will be named the “2024 Most Imaginative Bartender” and receive a $20,000 Grant to fund their Canvas Challenge project.
Interested parties are invited to join three past MIB Winners – Carley Gaskin Hansen (2019), Valentino Longo (2020), and Peter Hannah (2022) – for “MIB Talks: Conversations in Creativity” at Tales of the Cocktail 2023 on Tuesday, July 25 at 10:30 AM at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans.
Most Imaginative Bartender is a celebration of what makes the drinks industry unique: the inspiring, talented people behind the bar. Bombay Sapphire and Tales of the Cocktail Foundation are thrilled to feature their shared enthusiasm for fostering creativity within the drinks industry through MIB2024.
