Sunday, February 21 – 12:00 pm
George Ultra Lounge, 1137 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Yaletown’s George Ultra Lounge is getting into the spirit of 2010 by inviting some of the best bartenders in the world to compete head-to-head in a competition to demonstrate their speed, creativity and showmanship. Six talented bartenders from some of the world’s best bars will be behind the wood at George during the Olympics and they will also be vying for the privilege of taking home the title in the first ever George Mixlympic Games. Their creations will be judged by a talented – and extremely discerning – group of celebrity judges and possibly a couple of Olympic surprise guests.
Award-winning George bartender, Shaun Layton, has travelled the world looking for the best bars and most innovative cocktails. In 2009, Shaun introduced five of his favourite finds in the special Cameo section of the George cocktail menu, but he wanted to take it even further.
“It is going to be like one big citywide party during the Olympics,” says Layton. “With all the excitement around the athletes coming to Vancouver, we wanted to find a way to celebrate the excellence of some of the star athletes in the bartending world. I invited six of the best bartenders in the world to come and work with us during the Games and it only made sense to take advantage of having so much talent in one place. We had to hold our own international competition.”
The Mixlympics take place on Sunday, February 21st at 12:00 pm. It will be a black box style competition with a secret local ingredient included and will feature some of the brightest stars in the bartending cosmos. All of them have won multiple awards for their ability to create cocktails that are fresh, unusual and, of course, extraordinarily delicious.
The international participants in the competition are:
Joe Stokoe – Bar Manager for all three All Star Lanes, London, UK
Abdul Kpekawa – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
David Grieg – Bartender, All Star Lanes, London, UK
Ola Carlson – Bartender, Box 101, Stockholm, Sweden
Nicolos de Soto, Bartender, Experimental Cocktail Club & Curio Parlour, Paris, France
Charles Tan – Bartender, China Club, Paris, France.
Representing Canada will be:
Mark Brand – Owner, Boneta and The Diamond, Vancouver
David Wolwidnyk – Bar Manager, West, Vancouver
Jay Jones – Owner, The Pourhouse, Vancouver
Darryl Macdonald – Bartender, Port, Toronto
The extremely talented judges who will have the painful job of tasting the cocktails and choosing the best are:
Shaun Layton – Bar Manager, George Ultra Lounge
Joanne Sasvari – Freelance Journalist and Mixology Expert
Rebecca Bolwitt – Vancouver Blogger, Miss 604
Neal Mclennan – Editor, Western Living Magazine
Andrew Morrison – Editor, Scout Magazine
Jay Garnett – President, Whitefish Group
One of the good things about this event – besides the amazing food and drinks – is that you don’t have to give up your Maserati to get a ticket. There is no cover charge, and the event is open to all on a first come first served basis.
Meet George
George Ultra Lounge is the Godfather of Vancouver’s cocktail culture. Modeled in the London style, George pioneered the cocktail kitchen concept in Canada when it opened in 2005. Today, with award-winning Shaun Layton behind the bar, George continues to pour proper classic and market-fresh cocktails, complimented by a dinner and late night menu through 2 a.m. George is located at 1137 Hamilton Street in Yaletown, and online at georgelounge.com. For reservations, or to secure the private room, phone 604.628.5555.
