Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2020 Mixing Inspiration

Bitters brand

In 2015, Dino Batista of Molecular Bars entered the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge (AGCC) 2016 and made it all the way to the finals, taking second place overall and the award for Best Rum Cocktail. Then, for the next edition of the challenge, George Hunter of Copper Monkey entered and won the AGCC 2018 national heat moving on to the Africa and Middle East regional final.

Well, this year the bi-annual event is back, and The House of Angostura is calling on all SA bartenders to start prepping their winning recipes! The national heat is set to take place in South Africa during September, followed by the Africa and Middle East regional heat in Cyprus early October, and the grand final in Trinidad and Tobago during Carnival in February 2020.

Each contestant is asked to make two cocktails of his own creation in just seven minutes, judged by some of the best in the business. The ultimate winner of the grand final will take the title of Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge Champion, USD$10,000 and a two-year contract as Angostura’s Global Brand Ambassador.

More details on AGCC 2020 will follow shortly, but keep your eyes peeled to www.angosturaglobalcocktailchallenge.com for global updates.

Here’s a look at SA’s most recent winning cocktails as inspiration for aspiring mixologists:

George Hunter

Rum-inspired Orpic

Ingredients

  • 50ml Angostura 7-year old rum
  • 40ml Guava juice
  • 25ml Velvet Falernum
  • 20ml Aquavit
  • 5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Instructions

Add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard. Double strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill.

Amaro inspired Amaro a Day

Ingredients

  • 40ml Angostura di Amaro
  • 20ml Cointreau
  • 20ml Fresh lime juice
  • 10ml Simple syrup
  • 50ml Fresh pressed apple juice
  • 3 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
  • India Pale Ale (IPA)

Instructions

Add all ingredients except the IPA in a shaker with ice and shake hard. Double strain into a Collins glass over ice and top with IPA. Add a mint sprig and cinnamon as garnish.

Note: burn the cinnamon before serving.

Dino Batista

Rum inspired The Sanctuary

Ingredients

  • 37.5ml Angostura 5-year old rum
  • 15ml Pinotage syrup
  • 37.5ml Homemade pineapple ‘water’
  • 10ml Freshly pressed lime juice
  • 7 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Instructions

Shake all ingredients over ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with dehydrated pineapple.

Bitters inspired Ascension Sunday

Ingredients

  • 37.5ml Mezcal
  • 20ml Medium cream sherry
  • 2 dashes Absinthe
  • 1 bar spoon Muscovado sugar (brown sugar)
  • Flesh of ¼ grapefruit
  • 4 dashes Angostura aromatic bitter

Instructions

Muddle grapefruit flesh and sugar in the bottom of the glass. Combine the rest of the ingredients and add crushed ice. Churn. Pour into highball glass, top with crushed ice and garnish with dehydrated grapefruit slice.