Bols Around the World Finalists Announced!

We’re excited to announce the finalists in the Bols Around the World Shaking Twenties Cocktail Competition! More than 500 bartenders from 27 countries entered this competition, and now six finalists will be heading to Amsterdam to compete for top honors on March 22, where judges from six continents will be on hand to choose the grand prize winner who will be able to design and create his own signature Bols liqueur in Amsterdam with a Bols product developer. The judges for this year’s competition are Jason Crawley, Daniel Estremadoyro, Kurt Schlechter, Hidetsugu Ueno, Stanislav Vadrna and David Wondrich.

And the six finalists are:

Edwin Cruz of Tlapazola Grill in Los Angeles representing North America

Luis Claudio Simoes of Blue Bar 1820 in Sao Paulo representing South America

Timo Janse of Door 74 in Amsterdam representing Europe

Luke Redington of Hugos Bar Pizza in Sydney representing Australia

Mike Stephenson of News Cafe Woodmead in Johannesburg representing Africa

Katsuya Takano of Keio Plaza Hotel Aurora Lounge in Tokyo representing Asia

Congrats and good luck to all of the finalists—we can’t wait to see who takes home top honors! In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of the top six recipes—this one’s from Edwin Cruz of Tlapazola Grill in Los Angeles:

The Third Way
3/4 oz. Bols orange curacao
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. agave syrup (50% agave nectar: 50% water)
1/2 small egg white
1 1/2 oz. Bols genever
1/2 oz. Glenfiddich 12
1/2 oz. Averna
1 orange slice
2 drops Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Aromatic Bitters
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail

Add lemon juice, egg white, agave syrup, orange curacao and genever to a shaker and dry shake vigorously. Add remaining ingredients, fill with ice, shake well and strain into a glass.