Martin Vogeltanz won the world championship for the best non-alcoholic cocktail in Karlovy Vary

In addition to the title of world champion, he also received a financial reward of ten thousand dollars, i.e. approximately 230 thousand crowns. The winning cocktail will be on offer at the Mattoni bars at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year. Deník Právo and Novinky.cz are the main media partners of the festival.

“I’ve been participating in bartending competitions for fifteen years, and when I was making this cocktail, my wife told me that she finally liked one of my drinks. I think it will be an unforgettable cocktail for me and of course an unforgettable day. I’m very happy that I succeeded,” said the winner of the competition, who, in addition to Karlovy Vary mineral water, also used non-traditional ingredients such as fresh from the grass or libeček.

The world finals of the bartending competition took place on the embankment near the Thermal Hotel. It was attended by bartenders from all over the world, including representatives of exotic countries such as Macao and Uruguay. The winning Vogeltanz was the only Czech representative in the competition. The winners were selected by an expert jury consisting of the presidents of individual member states of the International Bartender Association IBA.

The competing bartenders had the task of mixing an original non-alcoholic cocktail, which must be easy to prepare, meet the criteria of a healthy and modern low-energy mixed drink, within a time limit of six minutes. Mattoni mineral water, for which Karlovy Vary is home, is an integral part of every competition cocktail. The program of the world bartending championship was enlivened by moderator Libor Bouček and a unique drum show performed by the well-known group Wild Sticks.

“This year’s competition confirmed the current trend in the field of non-alcoholic cocktails, which is minimalism. Competitors often used simple and clean products, and as a result there were about a record number of clear or only slightly colored cocktails in the competition. At the same time, very innovative ingredients began to appear, which gave the drinks really unusual flavors. That’s exactly what Martin Vogeltanz bet on,” added Aleš Svojanovský, president of the Czech Bartenders’ Association.