Bord Bia, the Irish food board recently organised a mixology competition for its Irish Mixologist Club tagged ‘Naija Irish Mix’, where Olanrewaju Babatunde emerged winner and ultimate mixologist at the grand finale of the Mixology competition to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Lagos.
Ese Okpomo, the West Africa manager, Bord Bia, said the competition was organised by the Irish Food Board, as a way of commemorating St. Patrick’s Day and celebrating the rich Irish culture and heritage.“Throughout March, Bord Bia will leverage the global celebrations around St. Patrick’s Day to launch a programme of targeted trade engagements and promotional campaigns across 18 countries”.
According to Okpomo, the aim of the competition was to showcase the versatility of Irish Spirits while driving an affinity for Irish Spirits in the On-Trade, making Irish brands the spirit of choice for both mixologists and consumers.
Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, is the government agency responsible for the promotion of Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture industry, bringing Ireland’s produce to the world, thus enabling the growth and sustainability of our producers. With headquarters in Dublin, Bord Bia has a network of overseas offices including one in Lagos, which help to bring Irish food and drink to customers and consumers across the globe.
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From Shanghai to New York to Lagos, through its network of international offices, Bord Bia will bring a taste of Ireland to the world. “In Nigeria our own celebration is being marked with a mixologist competition. The Irish Mixologist Club is designed to celebrate mixologists and their unique talent.This is the first Irish Mixologist Club contest to be held in Nigeria,” Okpomo stated.
The finale, which had the finalists mix their signature cocktail for the grand prize of a trip to Ireland, began with a call to entry phase online. Five outstanding mixologists were selected, amongst all the entries online, and their creative mixes were vetted by the panel of judges led by award-winning mixologist Hady Harmanani, lifestyle enthusiast Antonia Soares and Owolabi Akanimodo, founder of Circa Lagos.
The judges were given the responsibility of selecting the winner based on certain approved criteria, such as the authenticity, technique, taste (mouthfeel) and overall presentation of their cocktails. The winner of the mixology competition, Olanrewaju Babatunde, was awarded an all-expense paid trip to Ireland. Prince Victor emerged as the first runner up, and went home with a weekend stay at the Eko hotel, while second runner up was Yetunde Abass.
