Italian named World's Most Imaginative Bartender

21 May 2013

Matteo Vanzi of Italy is crowned the Bombay Sapphire World's Most Imaginative Bartender with new cocktail named The Pastorini (Perfect Lady). He was chosen from 11 finalists from Europe, North America, South Africa and Asia.

Matteo Vanzi named Bombay Sapphire World's Most Imaginative Bartender 2013

The gin brand challenged the competitors to create a cocktail inspired by Tuscany, the home of the juniper berries, which lies at the heart of Bombay Sapphire gin.

His cocktail was a twist on the classic White Lady, using a recipe of Bombay Sapphire gin, a homemade shrub of a light jasmine green tea and pink grapefruit peel infusion and a juniper berry meringue.

The bartenders took part in a four-day event, in and around the historical city of Florence where they experienced the energy of local markets, the enticing smells of Tuscany's famous foods and the cultural sights and sounds of the region, where the juniper berries used in the gin is sourced.

Each bartender created a cocktail using the branded gin, which was then judged by a panel of industry experts, including the winner of the inaugural Bombay Sapphire World's Most Imaginative Bartender Competition (2012), Canada's David Wolowidnyk, local Florentine Negroni expert, Luca Picchi and Hamish Smith, Deputy Editor of Drinks International.

In addition to his win, Vanzi has been invited to be a judge at next year's competition and will become latest addition to the Bombay Sapphire Cocktail Hall of Fame, partaking in various duties, including attending the opening of the Bombay Sapphire Distillery at Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire, England, later this year. Furthermore, he will have the opportunity to work with Virgin Atlantic to create its new signature cocktail, which will feature as part of the airline's Clubhouse2 menu.

Vanzi says, "I had many experiences throughout the trip that sparked my imagination, however it was the passion and love shown by the Pastorini family who harvest the juniper berries, one of the Bombay Sapphire botanicals, that gave me the inspiration for my cocktail and the theme of love. Tuscany is a very romantic region that combines the passion of Italian people like them, with history and style; the essence of these things helped me to create my winning cocktail. It is truly an honour to be named the 2013 Bombay Sapphire World's Most Imaginative Bartender."

The brand's global category director, John Burke, said, "As a brand, we believe imagination makes the world a better place and are proud to champion the important role it plays in the creation of imaginative cocktail making. As each of the finalists has learned over the course of the event, imagination is core to the gin brand, from the care taken in sourcing each of our exotic botanicals to the unique vapour infusion distillation process and its iconic blue bottle. Our aim is to spark the imaginations of not just these finalists, but bartenders and gin-lovers worldwide."