This month, Altamura Distilleries Vodka, the Official Vodka Partner of The World’s 50 Best Hotels, has teamed up with Hilton Hotels to launch a brand new culinary cocktail competition across Hilton’s Destination Venues in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to look at the relationship between food and drink in a completely fresh way.
The competition, developed with Tom Quinn, Hilton’s Drinks Director for EMEA, pairs venue chefs and bartenders together to create an original Altamura Distilleries Vodka cocktail that goes perfectly with a complementary finger food dish.
Running for eight weeks from the beginning of September, the competition will be judged not only on the quality of the cocktail but also on the creativity and balance of the pairing itself.
The whole idea of the competition is to showcase the harmony, balance and imagination that is prominent when food and cocktails are seen as equal parts of the guest experience.
As Frank Grillo, Founder of Altamura Distilleries says:
“Food enhances cocktails, and cocktails enhance food. This competition is about celebrating that mutuality in a thoughtful and elevated way. Altamura Distilleries Vodka is built for flavour. It is expressive, crafted with purpose, and designed to inspire collaboration between the kitchen and the bar.”
The initiative of balancing food and cocktail pairings is part of a wider vision championed by Altamura Distilleries Vodka, a vision that celebrates the hotel bar as the cultural and emotional heart of the hotel. This is explored in the brand’s new editorial feature The Heart of the Hotel on the Altamura Distilleries website and reflects on the bar as a place of theatre, memory and connection as the bar is very often the first and last stop in a guest’s stay.
Together with Hilton, Altamura Distilleries Vodka shares in its belief that the hotel bar is the centre of experience, hospitality and storytelling.
Four finalists will be chosen in November. Two from each region, with one bartender and one chef per team. The finalists will then compete in the Grand Final that will take place at the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus.
The judging panel itself will include a representative from The World’s 50 Best Hotels together with a senior figure from Altamura Distilleries and a leading international food and beverage journalist.
The winners will travel with Altamura Distilleries to a major international hospitality trade show where they will be able to gain firsthand exposure to global industry trends. They will also get the opportunity to network with top-tier professionals, as well as explore opportunities to enhance their careers in hospitality and spirits.
For more information about Altamura Distilleries and its products, please visit www.altamuradistilleries.com.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photograph courtesy of Altamura Distilleries
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