The assignment was clear: Go to Shanghai, taste-test your way through an array of artisanal cocktails made by some of the world’s best mixologists, and find the one thing that makes everyone go—I’ll have what she’s having.
In the spirit of spotting and championing this trend, I stepped into the world’s ultimate cocktail challenge, World Class 2024, hosted by Diageo. The competition was stiff—winning bartenders from across the globe battled it out over challenges to work their magic into spirits that ranged from Don Julio 1942 tequila and Tanqueray No. 10 gin to Ketel One vodka and Singleton single malt. The flavour profiles were complex, but grounded; stories were stirred from the hyperlocal, and conscious ingredient-led mixology shone through. While tech-led integrations didn’t quite land, they did include a talking robotic dog telling you about the origins of Johnnie Walker Blue Label—but the clear stars were great human camaraderie, artisanal cocktail-making, and all things bartender-led. Locally sourced ingredients promoting biodiversity and zero-waste techniques went beyond buzz words and into pour after pour.
At World Class one thing was clear; we're living in a golden age of mixology
If World Class had something to prove, it was clear there’s never been a more exciting time for mixology. But I was still scouting for that one-thing...and then, of all the bars in all of World Class, I walked into the one that slid a peanut butter jelly ‘sandwich’ cheekily floating on top of a vodka distilled with peanut butter and raspberry and lengthened with rosa vermouth across the bar and into my rest-of-the-night.
While it is inarguably the season to tequila, this PBJ vodka cocktail moment was made to steal the show. Nostalgic, fun, and deliciously Instagrammable—it’s no surprise its creator, Eric Van Beek, is judging the competition and is the mastermind behind Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City, which took the top spot in North America’s 50 Best and stands third in the world. “The idea was to create something that was iconic, but put it in liquid form,” he shares. Chicago’s Adalina might boast the world’s most expensive US$13,000 Marrow Martini that is garnished with a nine-carat tennis necklace featuring 150 diamonds in 14ct gold, but at World Class in Shanghai, apart from the now iconic PBJ topper, I got to encounter temperature layered foams, exotic herbs, perfumed vapour, and the joys of good old candy.
Authentic, storytelling-led mixology seems to be the underlying message of this global conclave. Canada’s Keegan McGregor, who was named World Class Global Bartender of 2024, explains, “Owning the hyperlocal and being authentic is important...if we’re able to create simple connections, we can make a lasting impact while transporting the customer to our home, even as we keep it familiar.” And his fellow contestants seem to agree. Aris Sanjaya Putra from Indonesia, runner-up by a single point, proudly championed his “root to flower” mixology practice by choosing locally sourced ingredients. His take on the gimlet—a smooth, complex stir of Tanqueray No. 10, Bianco Vermouth, legundi cordial, and calamansi citrus is topped with a whole legundi leaf. Legundi, he explains, is a native Balinese herb with a distinct herbacious flavour reminiscent of mint, sage, and tarragon—at once familiar, but uniquely different. “By showcasing these ingredients, we also support the local communities that supply them, helping them to grow,” Aris adds.
The cocktails of the day are story-led and ingredient-forward with a push towards the hyperlocal
India’s World Class 2024 winner, Santanu Chanda, currently the mixologist at Home in New Delhi, was consistent throughout, showcasing his Assamese roots with a variety of ingredient combinations. While his recipes featured a regular dose of local spices, herbs, and other ingredients, his garnishes made the grand announcement—a panch phoron smoke was one of his toppers, another saw a salt made out of chicatana ants that brought nutty, woody flavour into the mix, and a third blended duck-fat oil with deer musk or kasturi. “It’s all about letting the ingredients tell their story without overcomplicating the experience,” he says. “I grew up in a small village in Assam surrounded by tea gardens and rivers; my journey from those humble beginnings to travelling the world has been nothing short of phenomenal. How can I not showcase where I come from and who I am?”
If we’re tracing who we are, would a favourite childhood candy qualify? Enter Worldclass 2023 winner and 2024 judge Adrian Michalcik’s Art-ini, made with Tanqueray 10, makrut, lemongrass, capers, vermouth, and sherry, and topped with three cutesy gem-coloured gummy bears. This was easily the most ordered after hours—a room packed with seasoned adults could not get enough of the gummy bear spears! Both for the gram and for the surprisingly mature notes of this reinterpreted martini.
But more often than not, these photogenic toppers draw you in with their creativity. Adrian ignores the gummy bear gush and instead talks about the garnish that has him most fascinated—a technically complex piece created by bar star Luke Whearty from Byrdi in Melbourne. “It’s called the Rotten Apple,” he shares—apple inoculated with the rhizopus oligosporus fungi and fermented daily for 18 hours so it’s ready before service at 5 pm each day. “The result is the texture of a fresh apple on the inside and a completely contrasting texture on the outside, with strong umami and flavours of white truffle.” He continues, “A guest may not remember what exactly has been in a drink, but they will remember how they felt. The main focus of this ideology is to create a complex experience for our guest, since the biggest trend for me is, simply, conscious unreasonable hospitality,” adds Adrian.
Ingredient-forward cocktails were the stars of the show, but what shone even brighter was a sense of camaraderie
Shanghai-based award-winning bartender Ana Souza, who I find smoothly fielding the Singleton bar, only one of the buzziest pop-ups at World Class, confirms the garnish obsession. “For me, garnishes can be such a broad concept, from visual pieces to elements that can enhance the flavour, aroma, or even texture of a drink,” she says. “I had this mind-blowing moment many years ago at a bar in Singapore that stuck with me and that I remain inspired by. It was a cold cocktail with a warm cream foam garnish. The opposite of an Irish Coffee! The warmth of a creamy layer followed by the cold drink, is a bit of a shock. You’re a bit confused, but you end up giggling—I love drinks that deliver an almost childish reaction!” So here’s to looking forward to enjoying a season of great, complex mixology topped with weird and wonderful garnishes that make you question, remember, but most of all, have some fun.
