Raise your glass! Cincinnati bartender to represent US in global cocktail competition
Cheers! A local bartender will soon make the most important drink of her life.
Cincinnati mixologist Lauren Pellecchia will represent the United States as a finalist in a global coffee and cocktail-making competition this fall.
The sixth annual Licor 43 Bartender & Baristas Challenge, hosted by Spanish liqueur brand Licor 43, recruits bartenders and baristas from around the world in an effort to find the best caffeinated cocktail made with Licor 43 and coffee. Pellecchia, who bartends at the Millcroft Inn in Milford, advanced to the global final round after winning the U.S. regional competition with her coffee and passionfruit cocktail, "Passionately 43."
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According to a press release, Pellecchia beat out over 150 American entrants with her drink and won the Top 10 finalists challenge at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles this week.
I am honored to be one of the Top 10 Finalists in this year's Bartenders and Baristas Challenge - to be in the company of such talented bartenders is such an inspiring and motivating experience.I am so excited to share with you that I am the US Winner of the Licor43 Bartenders and Baristas Challenge! This October, I will be traveling to the Canary Islands to represent the USA in the Global Finals!Thank you to Licor 43 and the Zamora Company for this opportunity! Thank you to all of you for your continued support and encouragement! video credit to @86.thebartender
Posted by Lauren Pellecchia on Monday, August 15, 2022
The competition's global final round takes place Oct. 19 in the Canary Islands. International Barista Champion Merijn Gijsbers, American bartender Lynnette Marrero and last year's winner, Thalita Freire, will judge.
The winner of the 2022 Licor 43 Bartender & Baristas Challenge will receive a scholarship for professional equipment and educational courses, serve as a judge in next year's competition and be named Licor 43's Coffee Master for 2023.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati bartender advances in global cocktail-making competition
