Nick Gordon from Aberdeen bar, Orchid, has once again proved himself as having the best bartending skills in the UK, beating bartenders from all corners of the UK to win Monkey Shoulder’s 2019 Ultimate Bartender Championship title.
Nick is the lucky winner of three monkeys in cash (that’s £1,500) and will join winners from around the world on this year’s prize winners trip to London Cocktail Week.
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The Monkey Shoulder Ultimate Bartender Championship competition challenged contestants to ‘Test the Skills that Pay the Bills’ – from their bar knowledge and sense of smell through to their accuracy, memory and speed. In this week’s Grand Final, Nick was up against eight of the best bartenders from across the UK – in the ultimate test of speed and perfection.
Nick Gordon, UK UBC Champion, said ‘Having been crowned the Global Champion of Monkey Shoulder’s Ultimate Bartender Championship last year, I was buzzing to take part in the competition this year. Winning the UK final, and being the current leader of the Global Leader Board for a second year is an unbelievable feeling, and proves that Scottish Hospitality is second to none.’
Regional heats took place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Leeds, Cardiff, London, Aberdeen and Liverpool, each serving up a local winner who took home a bottle of Smokey Monkey. The regional champions then battled it out in the Grand Final at Salt Dog Slims in Liverpool, where Nick was crowned the champion of champions and took home the coveted Golden Pineapple Trophy.
John Wayte, Monkey Shoulder UK Brand Ambassador, said; “The Grand Final was the climax to an incredible summer on the road with the UBC! We had eight great regional champions fighting it out for the UK UBC title. The night was full of drama, from dropped shakers to photo finishes. The final was so tight we had to take it to a tie breaker TWICE to separate the top two competitors in the UK, I’m not sure we could have coped with a third!”.
