World’s Best Mixologists Of June 2021
The best bartenders and mixologists are artists. The amount of passion and creativity they dedicate to every beverage is truly worth the praise.
This June, we are giving you another set of bartenders that have mastered the craft of enticing us with delectable concoctions while being committed to their chosen profession. Want to look back on last month’s featured personalities? Check out the list for May!
If you are looking for skilled individuals in the field of mixing cocktails and doing bar tricks, follow our Instagram account @advancedmixology. Or sign up for our free VIP club and avail of the exclusive rebate program as our way of saying thank you for being with us all these years.
The bright and happy face of Spencer Amereno Jr. @spenceramereno is a testament that mixing drinks and serving customers is his passion. A poetic man, Amereno likes to take inspiration from emotions to develop his signature beverages.
One of his drinks is called Pure Love, a combination of Plymouth gin, Galician lemon, raspberry curd, palm sugar, spicy cream ginger ale, and Shochu Kannoko. Amereno is also fond of associating his cocktails with quotations whenever he posts them on Instagram.
Next on our list is the award-winning and globally acclaimed bartender Salvatore Calabrese @cocktailmaestro. The Maestro has been in the industry for 40 years since he began his humble journey at 12, where he made his first-ever cocktail.
While working in a bar in Maiori Village on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, his passion for mixing flavors was enhanced. As he moved to London, he found himself at Duke’s Hotel, where he developed his interest in rare and aged cognacs.
With his unique flair and style, Calabrese came up with the world’s most expensive cocktail mixed at The Playboy Club in Mayfair, priced at £5,500. It is also labeled the world’s oldest cocktail containing rare liquors with a combined age of 730 years.
When it comes to cocktails, Yeray Monforte @yeraymonforte is always a step ahead. This Spanish bartender started his interest in hospitality way back in 2013 when he realized that he is slowly falling in love with mixing different liquors to create cocktails.
Once he accepted his calling, he began working in Spain’s top bartending bars. His passion for studying resulted in him getting an intermediate Barista degree alongside a university master’s degree in modern cocktails by the Basque Culinary Center.
Being the best among 1,400 bar professionals, he was crowned the global winner of Patron Perfectionists in 2018. He is now the owner and manager of Bad Company, a bar located in Madrid’s iconic Plaza de Callao. Monforte is also a professor at Gastronomica GASMA university.
Tania Shamshur’s @tania.shamshur creativity made her the bartender she is now. Her IG profile is full of unique cocktails, and one in particular that she has expertise with is making Margarita.
Shamshur is also the owner of Edgar’s Flavors, a cocktail bar located near Avenue Louise in Brussels. She is all about sharing fine cocktails and making great conversations with friends and families.
Her bar offers the classics and unique crafted drinks that you will love to try out repeatedly. They also provide ready-to-drink cocktails that are available for pickup or delivery.
Giacomo Giannotti @giacolomoris_ believes that in the world of cocktails, a bartender’s creativity is limitless. He has been in the industry for over 30 years and continues to make a mark in the world of bartending.
After working with several bars and restaurants, he finally started his own business called the Paradiso. This bar has a “speakeasy” style wherein you have to enter through an old refrigerator door. The menu offers 25 signature cocktails to choose from, with each drink being served in a different glass and unique decorations and techniques.
He also opened another bar named Galileo, a cocktail bistro that focuses on aperitif and fusion between cocktails and Italian gastronomy.
Shantal Edumar @shantaledumar was born with a gift that allows her to smell something and know how it tastes. Initially, she thought that what she had is something to be hidden. But when she chanced upon mixology, she used her gift and hard-earned skills to make better cocktail mixes.
Her journey towards becoming successful started way back in 2009 when she moved to Miami and started working as a waitress at a bar. There, she learned all the basics of making drinks and conceptualized her cocktails. Her delicate and beautiful incorporation of aromas, flavors, and textures in each glass, made her name known across the city.
After gracing more than 50 bars, she finally decided to develop her own business - Shaduu Mixology. It is a cocktail experience targeted for birthdays, weddings, and parties, among others. It offers different services, such as an online masterclass on the basic bartender courses and a consultation program for bars and drinks.
In the field of flair bartending, one’s creativity and skills always go hand in hand to create an outstanding show. For Kristof @kristofflair, the tricks he performs in front of his customers are carefully learned and executed with utmost artistry.
This flair bartender from Las Vegas has proven his expertise multiple times as a six-time gold champion, joining more than 60 competitions worldwide.
The young and budding barman likes to share his craft in his Instagram account by posting videos of him doing amazing bar tools manipulation. Each video showcases a different move and difficulty that he manages to execute flawlessly every time.
Another flair bartender on the list, Oliver Deak’s @bartender_oliver_deak journey, started working as a waiter. He was amazed by the skills and showmanship that flair bartenders can do, so he decided to take this path.
After studying bartending skills at Flair Planet school in Budapest, he started joining competitions in Hungary. Despite his passion for what he does, the nervousness got the best of him. So, he took on the role of working behind the bar to gain experience and regain his confidence.
When he moved to London, he learned the language of the industry and eventually the skills of being a bartender. His hard work didn’t go to waste as he ended up managing a bar and slowly going on stage to showcase what he truly got. One of his feats was winning first place in the World Series Bartender in 2016 after four challenging rounds.
Unlike many bartenders, Pedro Barriga @pedro_dabid entered the industry in an unconventional way. He has a stable job at a pharmaceutical company, but then he wasn’t really happy. So, he redirected his path and decided to pursue his passion for bartending.
While studying at Cal Poly Pomona, he tried to gain some experience by working as a part-timer for The District in Fullerton. Aside from knowing how to craft cocktails, he learned the beauty of interaction with customers.
Barriga has already worked with 174 bars and has a ton of experience to share, including making drinks, writing menus, and administrative tasks.
Last but not least on this list is Tyler Zielinski @bon_vivantito. He has many roles, such as a freelance journalist, competitive bartender, and beverage consultant. But whatever his title maybe, everything that he does involves a glass of drink in his hand.
Zielinski started his cocktail bar journey in 2014 while he was still studying in college. But despite his busy schedule, he still wrote for his now-retired blog called Bon Vivantito. To his surprise, his personal website gained the attention of Saveur Magazine as a finalist in their 2018 blog awards for Best New Voice.
Since then, he has dedicated more of his time to pursuing bartending. In 2019, he was able to qualify for the East Coast Finals for Nikka Whisky’s Perfect Serve cocktail competition, where he finished in the fourth spot. Aside from his many recognitions, he has also been featured in magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler, Wine Enthusiast, and PUNCH, among others.
The innovative and creative minds of the best bartenders and mixologists are the reason why we are continuously offered tasty cocktails no matter where we go. They have proven in their journey to greatness that one must dare to be different to stand out.
Do you know someone who should be featured in our next monthly roundup? Send us an email at info@advancedmixology.com. Our marketing specialist will respond to you within 48 hours and send you the details on joining.