At Heineken®'s inaugural Global Bartender Finals in Amsterdam, 20 elite, international hospitality
professionals competed for the title 'World's Best Heineken® Bartender'. With friendly rivalry and
inventive showmanship on display, the event inspired passion for the Heineken® Star Serve ritual,
underlining its clear benefits for customers and consumers.
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Months spent scouring the world
for the best Heineken® bartender
ended with one exhilarating
weekend in Amsterdam at the end of 2013. Thousands of
hopeful competitors were whittled down to the global top
20. These select few, found in diverse countries from Brazil
to Dubai, journeyed to the home of Heineken® for one
last chance to prove they could deliver the ultimate
Heineken® pour.
Crowds of cheering supporters and representatives from
the media gathered on the top floor of the Heineken
Experience, on the site of the original HEINEKEN brewery,
to witness the finals. One by one, the finalists took to the
stage to deliver the five-step Heineken® Star Serve ritual
they'd been practising so hard: rinse, pour, skim, check,
serve.
Franck Evers, Global Draught Master, Star Serve trainer
and competition judge, spent the previous day intensively
coaching finalists to perfect their pour. For that extra edge,
he emphasised the importance of 'magic' - the personal
touch that could turn each bartender from very good to
truly memorable. "Magic can be everywhere," he insisted,
and the finalists took the advice to heart. From the Czech
Republic came glass flipping and spinning, the USA finalist
opted for a range of patriotic touches, and Brazil showed
his dancing flair to a samba beat.
22 World of HEINEKEN Edition 1 201A
