Meet the Danish Contestants for Bacardi Legacy 2020

Who will stand the test of time?

Each year, Bacardi Legacy invites ambitious bartenders to let their creative juices flow. The goal is to come up with a new Bacardi cocktail that can stand the test of time. As the years pass by, the challenge to create something new and inspirational toughens. 

This coming Monday, three will become one as this year’s Bacardi Legacy Danish final takes place at Strøm Bar, Copenhagen. The three contestants have spent the past many months shaking, stirring and straining their way towards a spot at the global finals taking place in Miami later this year.

The task at hand – to create an original take on a cocktail using only a set number of ingredients with a Bacardi rum as the main spirit. As a competition which has been ongoing for over a decade, the challenge lies not only in balancing ingredients but in being original. Yet, this year’s Danish contestants have not only presented their own unique twist on a Bacardi cocktail; each cocktail is also remarkably different from the other.

Pear With Me

Memorabilia in a cup

Bacardi Carta Blanca 35 ml

Martini Ambrato 10 ml

Apple Brandy 15 ml

Lemon Juice 25 ml

Pear/Vanilla Syrup 20 ml

Absinthe Spray

Garnish with a slice of pear

MASH-based bartender Marie Dørge presents a harmonious match between sweet rum and pears. Rather than being overly sweet, Pear With Me is deep and crisp, with an absinthe tickle on the nose.

Of her cocktail, Marie writes: “Pear With Me is a savoury and sour pear-cocktail with a hint of anise. A cocktail to ‘pear’ with friends, food and music? Ultimately the cocktail is inspired by memories and good times spent with people I love and hopefully, it will be part of many memories to come. So please, ‘pear up’ and have a cocktail!”

City Bee Legacy

Good deeds are the buzz

Bacardi Reserva Ocho 45 ml

Amaro 5 ml

Honey Syrup (5:1) 10 ml

Citric Acid Solution 7.5 ml

Saline Solution 2 dash

Nobis bartender Maz Jocas’ cocktail is a delightful ode to some of the most dedicated and important workers in society. Bartenders? A close runner up, but the answer is; bees. City Bee Legacy is bitter-sweet in more than one meaning of the phrase. With his drink, Maz is drawing attention to the increasing global issue of dwindling bee population, affecting crops and ecosystems around the world. 

Of his cocktail, Maz writes: “City Bee legacy was created to help the hardiest working pollinators in the entire world, which are the bees. They are responsible for about 80% of world plants and 90 food crops. Unfortunately, they are going through some tough times, especially in urban environments, so I thought I can bring an awareness about the importance of bees throughout a tasty honey drink with a reward of free organic seeds to every customer that enjoys the city bee cocktail so that you can plant the seeds and help out the bees in need.”

Divine Design

Back to square one

Bacardi Reserva Ocho 50 ml

Dubonnet Rouge 15 ml

Giffard Banane du Brésil 10 ml

Coffee Beans 5 pcs

Garnish with orange zest

When you’re working with a blank canvas, it’s easy to paint on top of it. Brønnum bartender Jiří Mališ has done the opposite, taking the darkness of Bacardi Reserva Ocho and pairing it with equally powerful flavours in a mix bold enough to border “taboo” – a union between flavours so extreme, it, in turn, creates balance.

Of his cocktail, Jiří writes: “In bartending, everything we do is by design. Even the wildest drinks have years of experimentation behind them. Divine Design is a celebration of the fundamental creativity, that allows your barkeeps to focus on the time they spend with you. It is a ceremony of serendipity, bringing the small moments that make life beautiful, into focus. An intense and complex, yet grounding experience bringing your thoughts to square one – Divine Design.

What’s your legacy? Last year’s Danish finalist Nicklas talks us through bartending, parenting and leaving a little something of yourself behind. Check it out here.

Photos: Bacardi Denmark

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Miriam Gradel
Much like the case of the chicken and the egg, I've never really been sure whether I started as a journalist or as a bartender. However, one thing's for sure: both require whiskey!