Licor 43 Heads to Madrid for the 2023 Bartenders & Baristas Challenge

For the 2023 Bartenders & Baristas Challenge, Spanish liqueur brand Licor 43 will be immersing competition finalists in the cocktails, coffee, and culture of its country’s capital, Madrid. For this year’s edition, Licor 43 is calling on cocktail and coffee pros around the world to apply their expertise and imagination to the art of pairing Licor 43 and coffee. Entries for competitors are currently open, and the Grand Final will take place in Madrid from October 16 to 19. 

“Madrid is one of the, if not the, most important cities in Spain for mixology, plus gastronomy, art and entertainment,” says Julian Fernandez, Zamora Company’s Global Marketing & Innovation Director for Spirits. “We are going to take [competitors] to Madrid  for a full immersion in Spanish culture, which is so intrinsic to Licor 43 as the liqueur brand of Spain.”

International barista champion Merijn Gijsbers will be returning to this year’s judging panel and will be joined by the 2022 champion, Yefferson Avila. Nine key Licor 43 markets around the world will participate in the 2023 competition: Germany, Mexico, USA, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Estonia, Peru, and Costa Rica.  Each will set up local judging teams to select a winner to put forward to the Grand Final. The 2023 global winner will receive a bursary to put towards professional equipment and career development, they will take their place on next year’s judging panel, and they will become the Licor 43 Coffee Master for 2024, appearing with the brand at international events.

Coffee has long been part of Licor 43’s story, from the Café Asiatico in Cartagena and Café Barraquito in Tenerife in the 1950s to the Carajillo 43 today, which is a signature serve in Mexico with an RTD version launched earlier this year. “There is a natural marriage of aromas and flavors between Licor 43 and coffee,” adds Julian Fernández, “and over the last seven years that we have run this competition, we can see what inspiration this has been to entrants from both the bar and barista worlds.”

Professionals interested in entering the 2023 Licor 43 Bartenders and Baristas Challenge can enter at bbchallenge.licor43.com. The deadline for entries if May 14, 2023.