World Class

World Class The annual search for the World's Best Bartender. Drink responsibly. Must be 18 or above to follow. Do not share or forward to anyone under legal drinking age.

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18/05/2026

The Top 8 have been chosen. Now it’s your turn to taste the craft.

From May 19 to June 14, our finalists are running an exclusive World Class Cocktail Festival menu at their home bars. This is your opportunity to experience their creations that secured their place in the finals.

Meet the Top 8 in the reel, then grab a seat at their bar to see the standard of this year’s competition for yourself.

📍 Festival Dates: May 19 – June 14, 2026
🍸 - The Bar, Peninsula Hong Kong
- Penicillin Hong Kong
- COA Hong Kong hirayama_ - Bar Leone Hong Kong
- MIUS tommm - Darkside
- Long Bar Macau
- Palace Reserve Club Macau




Please Drink Responsibly. This content is not intended to be viewed by persons under the legal drinking age.

We are honored to announce the official judging panel for the World Class Hong Kong & Macau 2026 Finals. This year, we a...
12/05/2026

We are honored to announce the official judging panel for the World Class Hong Kong & Macau 2026 Finals. This year, we are joined by four defining voices in the global cocktail industry. Each of these experts brings a profound understanding of technique, hospitality, and the intentionality required to compete at the highest level.

Please join us in welcoming our judges:

🍸 Agostino Perrone A true icon of modern hospitality. As the Director of Mixology at the Connaught Bar in London, Ago has set the global standard for timeless elegance, impeccable service, and the art of the guest experience.

🇰🇷 Bannie Kang World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2019. Bannie is celebrated for her culinary approach to mixology, bringing an incredible level of precision and perfect flavor balance to everything she creates.

🇦🇺 Orlando Marzo World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2018. Orlando is known for his meticulous ex*****on and forward-thinking drink design, constantly pushing the boundaries of what a modern cocktail can be.

🇨🇦 Kaitlyn Stewart World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2017. Kaitlyn combines world-class fundamentals with an unmatched dedication to cocktail education and community building, making the craft accessible and inspiring to all.

Their combined expertise will be invaluable as they evaluate our top bartenders next month at Macau, from June 16 to June 17.

We look forward to welcoming them and watching our competitors rise to the occasion.

The Top 16 round is officially complete. After a dedicated day of competition and a careful review by our judges, we hav...
29/04/2026

The Top 16 round is officially complete. After a dedicated day of competition and a careful review by our judges, we have the results.

Congratulations to our Top 8:
Alice Cheng - The Bar, Peninsula
Brian Chan - COA
John Patrick P**n - MIUS
Nans Petit - Penicillin
Nokoy Mak - Long Bar
Shawn Hui - Darkside .tommm
Wanjia Fu - Palace Reserve Club
Yuichi Hirayama - Bar Leone .hirayama_

The journey continues as we head toward the Grand Finale in Macau this mid-June. The competition is only getting more intense as we move closer to finding the one who will represent Hong Kong & Macau on the global stage.

Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare for the finals!

🗓 SAVE THE DATE: Mid-June 2026
📍 LOCATION: Macau

Yesterday was a full day of focus and craft as our Top 16 took on the Ketel One and The Singleton challenges. It was gre...
29/04/2026

Yesterday was a full day of focus and craft as our Top 16 took on the Ketel One and The Singleton challenges. It was great to see everyone’s hard work come to life behind the bar and to witness the dedication each of you put into your serves.

A huge thank you to all 16 bartenders for your effort and for sharing your passion with us. It’s the energy and commitment of this community that makes World Class such a special experience every year. We also want to extend our gratitude to our judges .peace_ for their time and expertise in evaluating such a dedicated group.

Well done to everyone who stepped up yesterday! 🥂

ONE INGREDIENT. TWO PERSONALITIES. True craftsmanship lies in seeing the hidden potential in a single “backbone”. For th...
21/04/2026

ONE INGREDIENT. TWO PERSONALITIES.

True craftsmanship lies in seeing the hidden potential in a single “backbone”. For the Ketel One: Dual Expression challenge at our Top 16 round, we’re moving beyond simple sourcing to celebrate technical mastery and circular craft.

The Mission: Select one local hero ingredient that resonates with the heritage of Hong Kong or Macau and transform it into two distinct cocktail styles.

Show us the versatility of your resource, the silky finish of Ketel One, and a commitment to a waste-free future through 100% ingredient utilization.

Precision, storytelling, and zero waste—this is Resource with Purpose.

DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT.In a hyper-connected world, the most precious luxury is presence. For The Singleton: Unplugged S...
17/04/2026

DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT.

In a hyper-connected world, the most precious luxury is presence. For The Singleton: Unplugged Session Top 16 Challenge, we are stripping back the digital noise to focus on the core of our craft: Slow Craftsmanship and Human Connection.

The Mission: Create a multi-sensory “sensory sanctuary”—a 6-minute, screen-free service ritual that allows your guest to deeply enjoy a single moment. Using The Singleton of Glen Ord 13 Year Old, you must guide your guest through a slow-crafted journey of honeyed indulgence and velvety texture.

Show us what it means to unplug. This is Presence with Purpose.

Let’s create a moment worth remembering.

The standard has been set, and the PURPOSE is clear. After a rigorous tasting of the Don Julio Blanco “Sip of Discovery”...
29/03/2026

The standard has been set, and the PURPOSE is clear.

After a rigorous tasting of the Don Julio Blanco “Sip of Discovery” entries, we have seen incredible storytelling and technical mastery distilled into every 5cl miniature. Each serve brought a unique perspective to the craft, but only 16 could move forward on the Roadmap to World Class Global Finals 2026.

Congratulations to our Top 16 Finalists! You have proven your ability to capture a transformative moment in a single, unforgettable taste.

The journey doesn’t stop here. The next phase of challenges awaits as we head toward the World Class Hong Kong & Macau 2026 Finals.

Stay tuned as we spotlight each of our Top 16 and their journey of intentional bartending. 🥃✨

20/03/2026

Recapping an unforgettable run of modern mixology with !

From unlocking new approaches to sustainability and technique in our Masterclass, to an essential tasting of The Singleton, and finally taking over the bar for packed guest shifts—Hong Kong showed up in full force.

Massive love and appreciation to the incredible teams at .hk and for hosting us and keeping the drinks flowing. We couldn’t have pulled this off without you! 👏

Check out the recap below to see how it all went down.

Still thinking about your World Class 2026 journey? The kickoff energy was amazing, and now it’s time to get to work. 🥃F...
10/03/2026

Still thinking about your World Class 2026 journey? The kickoff energy was amazing, and now it’s time to get to work. 🥃

For those ready to step up this year, your path to World Class Global Final begins with a single, intentional serve: Don Julio Blanco - The Sip of Discovery.

For your initial entry challenge, we want you to capture the exact moment a cocktail redefined your understanding of the craft and ignited your passion. Your mission is to translate that profound memory into a bottled 5cl miniature cocktail featuring Don Julio Blanco.

Ready to make it World Class?
👉 The full Bartender’s Deck with all the rules and judging criteria is available to download via the link in our bio.
👉 The Submission Form is officially live via the link in our bio, too!

We are so excited to see your creativity and purpose shine. Let’s go!


We are bringing the science of the bar to Hong Kong.On March 12, join us at for an exclusive masterclass with Kevin Kos...
28/02/2026

We are bringing the science of the bar to Hong Kong.

On March 12, join us at for an exclusive masterclass with Kevin Kos (). One of the most influential figure in the industry by Drinks International, Kevin will be breaking down his approach to creativity and sustainability—focusing on technique, yield, and flavor architecture.

Following the session, we will host a guided tasting experience of The Singleton, featuring the Singleton 13 YO. 💡 Note for competitors: Understanding this liquid is essential if you are entering World Class this year.

Details:
🗓 Date: March 12
⏰ Time: 2pm – 4pm
📍 Location:

RSVP is required. Register through the link in bio to secure a spot.

There is no better way to celebrate International Bartender Day than with the future of our industry in one room. Yester...
25/02/2026

There is no better way to celebrate International Bartender Day than with the future of our industry in one room. Yesterday, the energy for the World Class 2026 launch was unmatched.

Huge respect to heavy hitters Bannie & Tryson for dropping serious knowledge and sharing the exact winning mindset it takes to conquer the global stage. And a massive thank you to Quentin—not only for an incredible cocktail sampling, but for giving us the literal step-by-step blueprint on how to navigate the intense pressure of Regional and Global Finals.

We sampled greatness. We learned the roadmap. The standard has been set. Now, we execute.

The 2026 Bartender Deck is LIVE. Hit the link in our bio to download the challenge brief and start your journey to Dubai. We are looking forward to seeing submissions from all of you!

Let’s Make it World Class. 🌍

.quek .peace_

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