Belgium’s Best Bartender of 2024 has been announced.
It is Larry Godefroid who will now represent the country in the world championships later this year.
The 23-year-old from Brussels was chosen from a field of 15 others who took part in the 61st National Competition of the UBB – Union of Belgian Bartenders – at the Renaissance Brussels Hotel.
He graduated from the EFPME Brussels last year and will line up at the World Cocktail Competiton in Madeira from October 31 to November 3.
During the world contest, 64 bartenders representing the 64 countries member of the IBA will be competing for the title of IBA World Champion.
The runners-up at the Belgian competition were Rabath Saliba and Claude Remacle-Laborie.
The UBB national competition requires each candidate to have a broad knowledge of the products used in the trade and also show awareness of the increasingly demanding technical skills of the job.
Candidates have to demonstrate their talent in four different tests, including a questionnaire in English on bar products; a taste test (discovering 6 bar products); the creation of a cocktail in a given time and an oral presentation of the cocktail in French.
A spokesman for the competition said, “The trainers of these young people, in the different schools and training centres, are doing a great job and inspire confidence in a profession that is constantly evolving.
“Passing on knowledge is important for the UBB because it is not only about passing on know-how, but also passion.”
