The inaugural Northern Ireland Hospitality School Cocktail Competition took place at Fratelli Galgorm with Alex O’Hara from The Castle Kitchen & Bar crowned Cocktail Bartender of the Year, and winning a trip to Angers, France to visit the Giffard’s Liqueur factory.
Second place was clinched by Andrew Dunne from The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, who won a trip to the Bombay Sapphire Gin distillery, with Theola Laverty, from The Rabbit Hotel and Retreat taking third place and winning Westlife tickets. Additionally, Takashi Ibottson and Bradley Le Quesne, from Elements and Djann Balmes, from the Gin Bar at Galgorm Golf Resort and Spa performed extremely well with Takashi and Djann achieving highly commended accolades, and Bradley also scoring full marks for his non-alcoholic Giffard’s cocktail.
With initial funding from The Gallaher Trust, the Northern Ireland Hospitality School was established in 2021 by three local hoteliers – Galgorm Golf Resort and Spa, The Adair Arms Hotel and the Tullyglass House Hotel.
Having recently secured funding from the private sector, the School’s mission is centred around providing students with the foundations for a successful career in the sector, whilst ensuring a talented pipeline of employees. Since its inception, over 250 bar and restaurant employees have completed training, alongside securing full-time employment within local hotels. A number of participants have since continued to advance their careers, progressing into supervisory and management positions.
Narrowed down from 22 entries across Galgorm Collection and McKeever Group, finalists were required to create and present a cocktail and non-alcoholic beverage for tasting by the prestigious judging panel, including Paul Flynn, MCM Spirits and Giffards, Paula McIntyre, celebrity chef, Brenda McGale, Tessieree, Ryan Brown, Edward Dillon, and Ashley Douglas, Northern Ireland Hospitality School. Each competitor was assessed on their technique, creativity, speed, consistency, presentation, costing, customer service and their ability to perform under pressure.
Speaking about his accolade, Alex said: “To be recognised alongside so many talented people is a fantastic achievement, and I’m absolutely delighted to have won. I love creating cocktails and experimenting with seasonal ingredients, new flavours and different combinations, so having the opportunity to put those skills to the test in the competition was a brilliant experience.
“The competition, together with my training at the Northern Ireland Hospitality School, has really helped build my confidence and develop my skills. It’s exciting to be building a career in an industry I’m genuinely passionate about, and I’m looking forward to continuing to learn, experiment and create new drinks for our guests to enjoy.”
Alex secured the title with two drinks, each built around a personal story that reflected an understanding of evolving consumer tastes. His winning cocktail, the Gentleman’s Buzz, combines whiskey, fresh honey and malted barley, drawing inspiration from family traditions, with barley grown by his grandfather and honey sourced from bees he keeps alongside his mother. Complementing it was Miami Beet, a low-calorie cocktail crafted with Giffard’s non-alcoholic ginger liqueur and with health-conscious consumers in mind. Combining nutrient-rich beetroot with a fresh mint finish, the drink demonstrates the growing demand for wellness-focused alternatives. Together, the two drinks shows how he turns family heritage and modern wellness trends into distinctive flavours, and they won over the judges.
A registered charity, the Northern Ireland Hospitality School provides hands-on training and development across its Bar, Chef and Restaurant Academies, helping participants build the skills and experience needed to thrive in the hospitality industry. The Cocktail Competition also brought together talent from across the School, with students from the Chef Academy putting their culinary skills into practice by creating a selection of canapés specially paired with the cocktails served on the day.
Recent research from consumer intelligence company NIQ highlights growing consumer interest in moderation and low- and no-alcohol options. Across the cocktail industry, this is being reflected in a move towards lower-strength serves and more sophisticated alcohol-free cocktails, alongside emerging trends such as savoury and fermented flavours, locally sourced ingredients and creative approaches to reducing food waste.
For Ashley Douglas, Director of Operations at the Northern Ireland Hospitality School, it was important that students not only understood these evolving trends but had the opportunity to put them into practice, bringing fresh thinking and creativity to their competition serves.
“This competition was a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase not only their bartending skills, but also the creativity, knowledge and attention to detail that go into creating a great cocktail,” Ashley commented. “Each finalist was challenged to develop their own serve, explain the thinking and techniques behind it, demonstrate their choice of ingredients and balance of flavours, and consider everything from presentation through to sustainability.
“Bartending offers an exciting and rewarding career path, and at the Northern Ireland Hospitality School, our students have the opportunity to learn from highly experienced tutors who bring a wealth of real-world knowledge from across the hospitality industry.
“Our training continues to evolve in line with the tastes and trends shaping the industry, ensuring our students develop relevant, practical skills that will serve them well throughout their careers. We’re incredibly proud of what all 11 finalists achieved, and it was fantastic to see their talent, confidence and creativity come through in the competition.
Praising the high standard demonstrated throughout the competition, Paula McIntyre said the finalists had shown that there is plenty of exciting new talent coming through Northern Ireland’s hospitality industry.
“Congratulations to Alex on being crowned Cocktail Bartender of the Year. Choosing a winner was no easy task, with every finalist bringing something different to the competition and demonstrating real creativity, skill and thought in their approach.
“What impressed me most was the passion and enthusiasm shown by all of the finalists. There was a real sense that they wanted to challenge themselves, develop their skills and build successful careers within the hospitality industry. The standard was incredibly high and they should all be very proud of what they achieved.”
