Estonian bartenders made non-alcoholic cocktails from Devin water

Since Devin water has been used to make exciting cocktails in the past, we decided to support the creation of non-alcoholic cocktails this year as well. We will publish the results on our website as a press release.

The 6th Estonian Bartenders Championship in making non-alcoholic cocktails, held at the Tallinn Service School on April 12, was won by Liina Rätsep from Kalevi Yacht Club Resto . The best cocktail maker will travel to Prague, Czech Republic, in June to represent Estonia at the World Championship in making non-alcoholic cocktails. In addition, the first place winner won €60 worth of Devin alkaline mineral water.

The second place winner of the competition and the best young bartender in the age group up to 24 years (inclusive) was Merlyn Blumfeldt from the PM20 restaurant. Merlyn also managed to grab the title of best technician. A worthy third place went to Marko Hade from the Korsten, Armastus & Hea Toit restaurant. The second and third place winners were also awarded €30 worth of Devin alkaline mineral water by the main sponsor Devin.

A total of 22 of the best cocktail makers from all over Estonia took part in the Devin Mineral Water Estonian Bartenders Championship, who were evaluated both in terms of cocktail-making technique and the taste of the drink. A special challenge for the competitors was to achieve a low calorie cocktail, the cocktail could not contain more than 65 kcal/100 ml. The 6 best cocktail mixers made it to the finals, where they had to recreate their own cocktail in front of the jury and present the story of the cocktail’s birth in English. The cocktails were evaluated by Estonia’s most renowned sommeliers and chefs. This year, one of the judges was former singer and current bikini fitness star Helen Randmets, who is currently expecting a baby. According to Helen, it is very important to consume few calories in the fitness world. Therefore, judging was an interesting experience and inspiration for her.

The author of the winning cocktail, Liina, who is also pregnant, was inspired by her childhood. “Most children are very picky about vegetables and this attitude generally follows us into adulthood. I don’t like beets or celery either. But I wanted to break this myth and prove that vegetables can actually be delicious. I used simple vegetables as ingredients: dill, celery, added lime juice and cucumber syrup to balance the flavors, and of course water. On top of the mocktail, I used a bubble machine to make red, frothy bubbles from fresh beetroot juice, which symbolizes the bursting of this bubble, that there is no need to be afraid of vegetables – they can be used to make wonderful drinks and meals. The result is a nice, light drink that is healthy and low in calories. And I hope to make my future child love vegetables early on with my tricks.”

Devin Mineral Water representative and one of the judges, Kairi Kiivit, said that the level of the competitions this year was exceptionally high. “The competitors are becoming more and more innovative, and classic cocktail mixing is no longer enough to achieve high places in championships. Cocktail making can be compared to cooking, where different techniques and ingredients are mixed.”

You can find the recipe for Liina Rätsepa’s winning cocktail Burstin the Bubble here

Devin still mineral water 10 cl
Giffard cucumber syrup 2 cl
Freshly squeezed celery juice 1 cl
Freshly squeezed lime juice 2 cl
Fresh dill 2 gr

Cocktail preparation method: Blending
Decoration: Kadarbiku’s fresh beetroot juice foam (bubbles)

The championships were supported by: Devin alkaline mineral water and Tallinn Service School.