elit Martini Masters Cocktail Competition

The Brief

The Cocktail Service were brought in by Amber Beverage UK to relaunch their global cocktail competition for elit Vodka in the UK.

Returning after a hiatus of four years, the aim of the elit Martini Masters competition (previously known as The Art of the Martini), was to showcase the elit Vodka brand and highlight the brand’s sustainability agenda amongst the luxury spirits sector.

PR & Launch

Working in collaboration with our PR partners MPR Communications, TCS oversaw the PR execution for the newly named elit Martini Masters with a key partner, building and managing the UK Martini Masters Facebook group as a community hub for entrants to share ideas and entry mechanic for the competition.

To drive wider awareness of the elit brand story, the competition launch was pitched to trade media across the UK.

This resulted in coverage in major publications including CLASS Bar magazine and Drinks International, with an online reach of 1.56 million, ensuring great exposure for the elit Vodka brand.

Utilising our network of drinks professionals across the industry, we drove signups across the full UK trade for the elit Martini Masters campaign and approached a select group of industry leaders to attend the event.

Competition entrants submitted their recipes and then were encouraged to share their creations online using the #elitmartinimasters hashtag, maximising exposure for the product and the competition.

 

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The event

TCS assisted in securing London’s prestigious The Ivy Club as a venue for the UK heats. We managed the running of the event the day from designing the branded trophies, to bar management for guests.

Throughout the day we teased the event via our social media channels and monitored for mentions of the event which were then reshared.

Across the day there were 105 mentions of the event from a mix of participants and industry guests, resulting in fantastic reach for the brand across the industry.

Entries were judged by an independent panel comprised of Martini Masters brand Ambassador Jack Sotti, Maura Milia from The Connaught and Oli Dodd from CLASS magazine.

Finalists included Luigi Tartaglia from The American Bar at The Stafford Hotel, and our very own drinks consultant Charlotte Clarke who submitted her Pikant Martini recipe.

In the end, Arturo Burzio from Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood took the top prize with his unique elit Vodka creation.

Arturo goes forward to represent the UK at the Global Finals at the Athens Bar Show in November.

Additionally we organised professional photography and videography which were shared with key partners to drive awareness of the UK heat results post-event.

elit Martini Masters UK Finalists

Luigi Tartaglia, The American Bar at The Stafford Hotel

Nelson Hobday, Rita’s Bar and Kitchen

Myles Cunliffe, Mixology School

Giuseppe Destefano, The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz

Alex Young, Ginger Viking

Paul Minea, The Waldorf Hilton London

Lauren Jones, The Grill at The Dorchester

Charlotte Clarke, The Cocktail Service

Ambrosi Clement, The Coburg bar at The Connaught

Ilaria Carone, Annabel’s Mayfair

Riccardo Lugano, The Connaught Bar

Arturo Burzio from Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood

Results

3rd Place: Luigi Tartaglia, The American Bar at The Stafford Hotel

2nd Place: Charlotte Clarke, The Cocktail Service

1st Place: Arturo Burzio from Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood

Specialists in drink activation

The Cocktail Service has worked on numerous cocktail competitions including the Drinkstagram Awards with Maker’s Mark, and The Oxford Shake Off with Oxford Artisan Distillery.

With an unparalleled network and experience we know what works and what doesn’t when creating a cocktail event to showcase your brand.

Take a look at our previous work or say hello.