On July 1, the Saint James distillery in Martinique was transformed into an international mixology stage for the grand finale of The Bartenders Society 2025. The competition, which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, was not just a showcase for talent from fourteen countries – it also embodied the intersecting ambitions of the spirits industry, experience tourism and regional development. In an exceptional setting, between sugar cane and rum-making traditions, the event combined technical excellence, creative daring and intercultural openness.
A contest with a cult following
In just ten years, The Bartenders Society has established itself as one of the world’s most respected competitions in the world of spirits. Created in 2015 by the La Martiniquaise-Bardinet group, this competition pushes bartenders to excel by combining technique, storytelling, innovation and the art of taste. For this anniversary edition, 14 countries were represented. From the United States to Greece, Brazil to Denmark, each came with a story to tell, a world to taste.
La Martiniquaise-Bardinet is also a family story. In the beginning, it was the Cayard family, now represented by the third generation, who owned the brands. A family that has been producing wine and spirits since 1934. Many products are represented in their portfolio. And today, they are present in Martinique to promote their rums in particular.
When rum tells a story
The Bartenders Society concept is as simple as it is daunting: in eight minutes, each finalist must create two cocktails – one without alcohol, the other with, while captivating an international jury with a personal, cultural or emotional story. It’s a sensory theater, where spicy notes meet childhood memories, where the acidity of a citrus fruit responds to the wounds of a past or the dreams of a future.
Bartenders Society celebrated not only the tenth anniversary of the competition, but also the anniversaries of two French icons: 260 years of Saint James rum and 270 years of Marie Brizard. A symbolic setting for a competition steeped in heritage.
Faces, voices, nations
In this arena where shakers tinkle like jazz instruments, the names of the finalists resound like a planetary symphony: Bartosz Jankuniec (Poland), Jonathan Shuber Garcia Montesdeoca (Spain), Joe Clapham (UK), Benoît Guérin (France), Renan Lopes de Oliveira (Brazil), Nuno Carreira (Portugal), Gloria Grassi (Italy), Jules Verlinden (Belgium), Maximilien Jean (Canada), Lionel Birota (Martinique), Augosto Valentinp Calandruccio (Germany), Alexandra Tsatsouli (Greece), Dan Lynch (USA), Caspar Mönniche (Denmark).
Among the participants, two women stood out, a sign that this long male-dominated profession is slowly but surely becoming more feminine.
Three talents on the podium
The verdict fell in a warm and intense atmosphere. The podium of The Bartenders Society 2025 crowned three promising figures of international mixology:
🥇 Alexandra Tsatsouli (Greece) – 1st place
🥈 Caspar Mönniche (Denmark) – 2nd place
🥉 Jonathan Shuber Garcia Montesdeoca (Spain) – 3rd place
Their creations impressed the jury with their balance, inventiveness and coherent storytelling.
A jury of excellence
The final selection was made by a panel of world-renowned experts:
- ⭐ Ian Burrell, Global Rum Ambassador (London)
- ⭐ Daniele Dalla Pola, owner of Miami Cocktail Club
- ⭐ Matthias Giroud, head mixologist and founder of L’Alchimiste (Paris)
- ⭐ Kate Boushel, Beverage Director, Barocco (Canada)
- ⭐ Javier de las Muelas, mythical figure of the Dry Martini bar (Barcelona)
- ⭐ Nathalie Hobe, founder of Nomads Spirit and Marie Brizard ambassador
- ⭐ Ned Ratcliffe, winner TBS 2024 (United Kingdom)
These professionals evaluated the cocktails according to rigorous criteria: technicality, taste, creativity, storytelling, gestures and time management.
The art of the cocktail as a vector of identity
The Bartenders Society 2025 has shown that cocktails can become a universal language. It speaks of terroirs, memories and crossbreeding. It brings people together, provokes emotion, and tells what words alone cannot say.
For Donatien Ferrari, Communications Director at La Martiniquaise-Bardinet, this dimension is essential:
“The aim of this event is to promote cocktail culture, but also responsible consumption. We’re celebrating taste, but above all Martinique’s savoir-faire. We’re in a real paradise here, in Sainte-Marie, on the Atlantic coast. This event allows us to promote our products internationally.
Its presence is not insignificant. For behind the Bartenders Society lies an industrial and cultural vision: to make Martinique a strategic player in experiential tourism, while consolidating its place in the global spirits industry.
A showcase for Martinique
Hosting The Bartenders Society 2025 means highlighting the quality of local production and Creole hospitality, spirit tourism, the wealth of landscapes and knowledge. It’s also an economic lever: developing wine tourism, upgrading products, creating content (videos, recipes, interviews), and networking producers, mixologists and distributors.
It’s also a strong political and identity message: the Caribbean, often perceived only as a producer, is asserting its ability to set trends, innovate and impose its signature in the highly codified world of luxury and gastronomy.
Rum as ambassador
In this context, AOC Martinique rum, carried by the Saint James brand, acts as a cultural ambassador. It’s not just drunk, it’s told, staged and stylized. Each cocktail becomes a work of art, each finalist a storyteller.
The spin-offs are many: enhanced brand image, boosted exports, increased curiosity about local products (Caraïbos juices, Marie Brizard syrups), the creation of satellite events and the possibility of training a new generation of Caribbean mixologists.
The Bartenders Society 2025: a lesson for the future
This anniversary edition of the Bartenders Society not only marked the tenth anniversary of the competition. It outlined a vision for the future, in which Martinique becomes more than just a production region: it becomes a center of creative excellence, a place where high standards, passion, transmission and celebration come together.
🎥 Exclusive videos of interviews and highlights will soon be available on RichèsKarayib to relive this unique experience at the heart of The Bartenders Society 2025.
