2019 is the year to put Dry January on the back-burner as the World’s Best Martini Challenge grand finale storms back into town on 15th January at Soho’s 100 Wardour St.
Following on from the success of last year’s competition and this year’s #MartiniTour, the World’s Best Martini Challenge is returning to London and will crown the champion gin as the winner at its stirring grand finale at Soho’s 100 Wardour St on 15th January. Featuring five new finalists, last year’s winner, three new judges, some of the world’s biggest martini aficionados and an awful lot of gin, this year’s final will be a chance for spirited, gin-loving members of the public to witness the official crowning of the World’s Best Martini 2019.
Earlier this year, gins from around the world were invited to put their best foot forward and considered for the base of the World’s Best Martini 2019, with submissions ranging from the Swedish Osel Gin to London’s Marylebone Gin and Cornwall’s Tarquin’s Gin and many more in-between. Several of the contenders took part in the first World’s Best Martini Tour, which allowed members of the public to try a selection of this year’s entries at some of London’s coolest bars including Callooh Callay, Every Cloud, Quaglino’s Bar, Heads + Tails, Blade Hairclubbing, The Cocktail Trading Company and Reverend JW Simpsons.
Co-founders and all-round Martini experts Gary Sharp and James Thomas then narrowed down the submissions to the top five: Conker Spirits Navy Strength Gin, Plymouth Gin, HMS Spirits Mary Rose Gin, Marylebone Gin, and Campfire Gin, who will go head to head in front of an independent judging panel of experts (including Rebecca Milford of Bar Chick and Ivan Dixon of Entroria&Coe) at January’s final with both a classic and showcase martini.
James, co-founder of World’s Best Martini, says of this year’s final ‘The 2019 challenge event will be our best yet. Each year we try to make it bigger and better and we’re so pleased to have the support of these great gin-makers, bartenders and bars. And of course, it’s our martini-loving crowd that makes it such a great night out.’