Eighteen cocktail-making contestants last week battled it out to see who would represent Malta at this year’s World Cocktail Competition, which is being held in Beijing in October.

The brief for this year’s cocktail was a pre-dinner cocktail- Bill Hermitage

As one of the technical judges, I watched intensely as these professionals got down to work, “shaking and mixing” their way to success.

The competition was organised by the Maltese Bartenders Guild at Hilton Malta in front of a live audience, six judges and other officials from the association, including president Joseph Farrugia, who gave a running commentary throughout the competition.

As a technical judge, I was armed with a stopwatch and as the competitors came out three at a time, each judge was appointed one competitor each to adjudicate. We were also given score sheets for each contestant whereby points would be deducted if their technical ability was not as efficient as it should have been.

They were each marked on their personal appearance; their handling of equipment such as bottles, glasses, bar tools and ingredients, including ice; their control of the quantities of the ingredients vis-à-vis their recipe; correct chilling procedures of their glasses, the shaker and mixers etc; the pouring of equal measures between the glasses with no product remaining; spillage and general hygiene; handling and neatness of the garnish; and all of this to be completed within a seven-minute time frame.

The brief for this year’s cocktail was a “pre-dinner cocktail” .

Each cocktail was given points for its aroma, taste, presentation, overall appearance and appeal as a pre-dinner cocktail.

This year’s winner, who will be travelling to China with the guilds president and another council member, is James Aquilina who has 20 years’ experience and operates as a professional mixologist (according to Wikipedia it’s someone who is skilled in mixing cocktails) and runs his own cocktail business.

Some 57 countries are competing in The World Cocktail Competition.Last year, the event was hosted in Warsaw where Malta placed an impressive second position.

Let’s hope Mr Aquilina can get us a first in Beijing.

That would surely bring in more support for the hard-working voluntary council members of the non-profit-making Maltese Bartenders Guild.

They donate so much of their time and energy into something that gives them very little recognition or reward.

• More information about Mr Aquilina may be obtained online at www.cocktailjames.com