World Class Canada
One drink can change your life.
Originally tasked with capturing the World Class Canada competition, our relationship has grown to becoming part of the World Class family & consulting all media-related content creative - travelling across Canada to capture regional competition, national final coverage, live-streaming events, assisting with video production for global competition, capture & share workshops, create branded content for many suppliers, distributors & retailers - all to become bigger & better each year.
Diageo's World Class challenges are crafted to showcase the five key characteristics it takes to be a World Class bartender: hosting, craft, flavour analysis, knowledge and World Class advocacy. With each challenge, judges are not just looking for a beautiful cocktail, but also a masterful display of storytelling that embodies these five pillars
2021 World Class Canada & Global Bartender of the Year James Grant
It took James Grant only a decade to go from bartending “to pay the bills” to becoming the Diageo World Class Global Bartender of 2021—a title that recognizes him as the world’s best bartender.
“It’s pretty wild. It’s finally started to sink in,” says the bar manager of Edmonton’s Little Hong Kong. “I’m very humbled and grateful to have done OK representing the Canadian bartending community on the world stage.”
When the results were tallied back in July, it was the second time in only four years that a Canadian triumphed over 50 other countries to take home the cocktail world’s most prestigious title; the first was in 2017 when Vancouver’s Kaitlyn Stewart won. For Grant, this means his life is about to change, even though right now it all feels pretty much like business as usual.
Despite pandemic-related restrictions, he’s already seeing his schedule start to fill up with travel, conferences, events and opportunities. It starts in November with the launch party for the inaugural Vancouver Cocktail Week, when he’ll be in town making cocktails for industry and media guests, including an adaptation of his World Class-winning Johnnie Walker highball inspired by Edmonton’s river valley.
“It’s really exciting to see the industry coming back to life,” he says, noting that World Class plans to play a pivotal role in the industry’s post-pandemic comeback.
Since it began in 2009, more than 400,000 bartenders from 60 countries have taken part in World Class (Canada only started competing in 2013). But it is much more than a competition. It is a network of friends and colleagues that emphasizes the importance of education, training and staying on top of important industry trends.
- The Alchemist Magazine
James Grant’s @johnniewalker Hidden City Highballs Challenge has reached judges Ago Perrone (@agodragos) & Hannah Lanfear (@hannahlanfear82) for the World Class Global Finals in London!
Our esteemed judges enjoyed James’s thoughtfully-crafted ingredients using spruce tip, lilac, pine bough & his playful garnish of an edible candied pine cone.
You can follow along with the Live Stream (Link in our bio) as James continues to compete for the World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2021.
#WorldClass2021 #WorldClass #MakeItWorldClass #WorldClassCanada
Alive with Freshness is our @TanquerayGin No.Ten Challenge at this year's World Class Global Final.
A Masterclass with a focus around the iconic Citrus Heart, James Grant (@oldgrayrabbit) creates an Aperitivo-style cocktail, the ‘Harmony Fizz’ using Tanqueray No. Ten, Bergamot Liqueur, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, Simple Syrup, Champagne & a pinch of salt.
Cheers! 🥂
James Grant’s @ketelone Community Hive initiative has reached the World Class Global final. Raise a Glass is an ongoing initiative that brings the hospitality community together in Edmonton in support of the work being done by @homewardtrust and @findyeg , two organizations actively improving the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbours. These organizations work to help move those in Edmonton experiencing homelessness into homes safely, and sustainably. We are proud of the work James is doing with both organizations, multiple venues across the city, and Ketel One to create a program that will help those in Edmonton who need it most. James's motto for this effort "Hospitality and caring for those around us is at the heart of what we do as bartenders. Everyone deserves to be taken care of and welcomed, and we’re able to do it." The Kickstart Martini with be available to-go from bars across Edmonton. @ketelone, Amaro, cold brew coffee, and lavender. Shake it, strain it, serve it up in a piece of vintage glassware from the folks @findyeg. All the sales of Kickstart Martinis will go towards @homewardtrust and @findyeg’s work helping our most vulnerable neighbours.
World Class Canada captures the essence of hospitality by challenging the best bartenders around the world to create, compete & collaborate resulting in one of the most amazing communities in the industry.
James Grant is the 2019 World Class Canada Bartender of the Year & will represent Canada in the Global competition.
LCBO Video Campaign
We supported the DIAGEO brand campaign by creating a series of “how-to” crafted cocktail videos with the World Class Canada winners using the Reserve Portfolio Brands - Ron Zacapa, Johnnie Walker Black Label, The Singleton, Bulleit, Ciroc, Ketel One, Tanqueray No. 10, Don Julio Blanco & Resposado to air live LCBO stores across the province & online.
World Class Competition - Canada // USA (2019)
One of the world’s largest bartending competitions. Our team began our coverage in Whistler, BC covering the Canadian National Final, immediately following was the U.S. National Final at the Bulleit Distillery, Kentucky. Our team was responsible for the video capture, live streaming & creative planning for over 5 years in Canada & the USA. Our team specializes in live event coverage, meeting the strict schedule guidelines.
Inspired by the latest industry trends, each challenge requires the use of specific spirits in the Diageo portfolio and are designed to showcase different skills in a bartender's toolkit. Some of this year's challenges included a Tanqueray No. TEN tableside serve to highlight hospitality and presentation, and a Garden Party challenge to showcase non-alcoholic and low-ABV options using Seedlip, Tanqueray 0.0, Ketel One Botanicals and Pimm's No.1. Only four contenders advanced to the sixth and final challenge - a speed round where they're required to craft six classic cocktails using the entire Diageo Reserve portfolio in the fastest time possible.