Germany Takes the Crown at the 2024 Licor 43 Bartender & Baristas Challenge

Held in Cartagena, Spain, the 2024 edition of Licor 43’s Bartenders & Baristas Challenge, has named Julia Engel from Kœr bar in Hamburg, Germany, this year’s global champion. This was the eighth edition of the annual competition, which calls on cocktail and coffee pros around the world to showcase their expertise and creativity in pairing Licor 43 and coffee.

This year’s competition received more than 1,600 entries worldwide with 524 entrants making it to the early rounds, before Engel won top honors with her A Day in Life cocktail combining Licor 43 Original, Bokma Oude Friesche Genever, Hörner Pinot Noir Rosé 2021, and coffee. 

Second-place honors wen to Jiri Malis from Estonia with his Red & The Joe cocktail, and Mike Vander Horn from the United States took third place with his Pilè Pasión cocktail. The 2024 competition was once again hosted by Gavin Wrigley, Director of Education at the European Bartender School, and the judging panel included acclaimed bartender Ian McPherson; Chriss Levitt, a longtime bar pro turned content creator; Merijn Gijsbers, a former World Barista Champion, authorized SCA trainer and independent Barista Consultant; and Gabriela Wong, the 2023 Licor 43 Bartenders & Baristas Champion.

For the first time at its two-day final, Licor 43 also hosted a series of industry-led workshops and seminars.  “This year, we returned to our roots in Cartagena, Licor 43’s homeland, and also increased the competition’s focus on education,” says Blanca de la Infiesta, Chief Marketing Officer for Spirits at Zamora Company. “For eight years now, we’ve been exploring the natural marriage of aromas and flavors between Licor 43 and coffee, but our mission for 2024 was also to take our community deeper into the science and knowledge of cocktails. We are thrilled at the experience and knowledge that could be passed on by our seminar leaders and judging panel, and amongst our participants who approached every task with enthusiasm, creativity and professionalism.”

After the seminars and workshops, each finalist was tasked with putting what they’d learned into practice over three challenges: Speed Up Challenge, preparing four perfect Carajillo 43s in the quickest time possible; Mystery Box, which saw finalists graded on their use of cocktail clarification techniques; and a Switching Challenge based on a seminar covering alternative flavor creation.

Head to bbchallenge.licor43.com to read more about this year’s finalists and to check out their full recipes.