Funchal has been hosting the 2024 World Cocktail Championship since last Thursday, bringing together participants from around 60 countries on Madeiran soil. The super final will take place today at the Savoy Palace, where the world champion cocktail will be announced, which this year, in the ‘Classic’ category, will have Madeira Wine as a mandatory ingredient.
On Saturday morning, the 15 competitors who stood out in the first competition in this category – which took place on the 1st – competed in the semi-final at the Mercado dos Lavradores. At this stage, the challenge consisted of creating a cocktail using Madeira Rum and fresh fruit and vegetables from the stalls, as Fernando Brito, president of the Portuguese Barmen’s Association, explained to JM. The top three in this semi-final will compete today for first place in the ‘Classic grand final’, which will take place at 10 pm at the Savoy Palace, with a drink made with Madeira Wine.
As for the ‘Flair’ category – which involves creating cocktails with tricks and acrobatics with bottles and glasses -, five finalists who stood out yesterday in the preliminary ‘Flairbartending’ competitions will compete for the title this Sunday in the ‘Flair grand final’, which is scheduled for 9pm.
It should be noted that the event, organized by the International Bartenders Association (IBA), has the support of the Portuguese Bartenders Association, the Madeira Bartenders Association, the Regional Tourism Secretariat, the Funchal City Council and the Machico City Council.