International Vodka Cup Final: Movers and shakers

16 March 2006
International Vodka Cup Final: Movers and shakers

It's minus four degrees. I'm lying in the corner of a giant ice palace beside a Scottish guy who claims he works in Arizona and my glasses are starting to freeze. He keeps muttering like a mystic about ingredients and timings.

Ask a bartender what's the most important element needed to create a great cocktail and he will undoubtedly reply: "Plenty of ice." The people behind Finlandia vodka have taken this literally by setting its International Vodka Cup Final in the frozen expanses of Lapland. Before getting to the ice palace, I arrived in Finland's capital Helsinki with the UK competitor, Tom Ward, and had a meet-and-greet with the 18 other contestants. Ward, from the Player in London, had won the UK heat and was comparing notes with his international colleagues in the recently redesigned Klaus K hotel.

This certainly is a league of nations. There's an impossibly tall Russian, a fast-talking New Yorker and a shy, smiling girl from Kazakhstan. It's like the Eurovision song contest, but with bartenders. Why so many different countries? I ask Finlandia's UK brand manager Andrew Coles. "We're aiming for a truly international competition and this is the biggest event we've put on so far," he says. "We're missing people from Latin America, the Far East and Australia, but we hope to remedy that in 2007."

This is the eighth time the Vodka Cup has taken place, and it's the brainchild of Finlandia's global ambassador Markku Raittinen, the tour leader of the 120 people travelling to Lapland to see the final take place. He's the Terry Wogan figure, part-compere, part-commentator and part-comedian.

The profile of the Finlandia brand and the vodka category has changed enormously in the eight years since the event began. Vodka
is the most competitive spirit category in the world, with new brands appearing and disappearing quicker than you can down a shot. Finlandia's owner, the Kentucky-based drinks company Brown-Forman (producer of Jack Daniel's, among others) obviously believes
its vodka brand should expand further across the globe, hence the growth of the cocktail competition.

Ingredient Bright and early the next day we have a brief look at the Rajamaki Spring, which is the "pure glacial spring water" used to make the vodka. We then have an interesting comparative tasting test led by Raittinen, which aims to highlight the clean, neutral taste of Finlandia, making it a particularly useful ingredient for cocktails.

Then to Lapland. We alight in the tiny Kittila airport in the far north of the country. Before being bussed to the Lainio Snow Village, we troop into a shed to get our ski suits and boots that will be our uniform for the trip. Suited and booted, we arrive at the snow village as darkness falls to the sound of husky dogs howling. Split into groups, we're led around the impressive ice hotel, which has 20 standard igloo-shaped bedrooms including two, more elaborate, ice suites. It also has a huge open room containing the ice bar where the competition will take place the next day.

There's one more treat before dinner. We're about to be fed to the wolves - or at least that's how it feels as the group approaches a baying pack of huskies. This is the husky safari. Split into couples, we take it in turns to drive six dogs across the deep snow under the sharp, starry sky. It's cold, it's dark, and it's very exciting.

Back at the snow hotel, the 50 "lucky" guests gather round the ice bar as the rest of the group disappears to nearby hotels. All the competitors are here, and after some late-night chatter we drift off to our rooms. I'm sharing with Ross Simon, who's competing for Arizona in the USA, but who is definitely Scottish. What can I say? It's a global village. The Americans are having their heat, or "shake off", in the morning to see which one of them will go forward to the competition proper and Simon is naturally very keen that it should be him. Crawling out of my arctic-proof sleeping bag in the morning, I realise the US heat is about to begin, so I go to take a peek. There are five American bartenders from across the USA, and guess who wins the day? That good ol' boy Ross Simon.

Now things are getting serious. The 19 bartenders begin to set up their spaces behind the ice bar and Raittinen reminds us of the rules. The competitors have to make three drinks, taking only seven minutes for each one. These are an aperitif, a long drink and a digestif. Each drink category is to be assessed by a group of four judges and marks are to be awarded for appearance, aroma, taste and star quality (essentially the name of the cocktail).

First prize is an all-expenses-paid, five-day trip to "any metropolitan centre" in the world. If the winner wants some work experience in any bar there, that can also be arranged. Plasma screens by the bar show the judges waiting for the drinks in the nearby "panic room". This is a heated area adjacent to the ice hotel in case anyone can't cope with the cold.

The bartenders present themselves in varying ways. Some seem oblivious to the cold, wearing a shirt and tie as though competing in the warmth of a Mayfair hotel. Others, our UK contestant included, are a little more sensible considering the minus-four temperature. Tom Ward sports a furry Finlandia hat.

Compere Raittinen quizzes the bartenders about their drinks and background. The replies range from the confident to the disarmingly frank. "I think I'm going to be sick," confides Viktoriya Shoula from the Ukraine, while Ariel Leizcold from Israel is more upbeat. "I'm happy, I'm from Tel Aviv, the most happening city in the world," he grins.

Winners All manner of cocktails are being created, sweet and sour, shaken and stirred, using the different flavours of Finlandia, which include cranberry, lime, mango and redberry. The crowd cheer each round and finally the digestifs are taken away to be judged as the bartenders gather to gossip about how it's gone.

The discussions are still raging at the dinner in the evening as Markku "Wogan" stands up to announce the winners. With the kind of preamble that old Sir Tel would be proud of, he eventually delivers the news. The winner is Jan Lindgren from Finland for his three blue-themed creations, Finlandia Blues, Finlandia Blueberry Blue and Finlandia Plays Blues.

"I'm really proud and surprised to win," says Lindgren. "There's so many great bartenders here and I've not thought about where I'll go with the prize. Perhaps Sydney."

The UK doesn't go away empty-handed though, with Tom Ward winning a special award for Best Long Drink. "It's been a very impressive event," he says. "I'd love another crack at it next year." The fun continues, with everyone treated to a snowmobile safari, ice fishing and some alternative winter Olympics the next day, followed by a party in the appropriately named Crazy Reindeer hotel.

So, expect to see more of Finlandia this year as the cocktail competition continues to grow and it promotes its "Finnishing Schools" vodka training throughout the world. Finlandia is clearly keen to position itself as the brand which bartenders and customers alike will look for behind the bar. But when you're ordering, don't forget the ice.

The winners' cocktails

Jan Lindgren, Finland

Aperitif: Finlandia Blues
2cl Finlandia Cranberry
2cl De Kuyper Sour Apple
4 lime wedges
2tsp blueberries
1cl Modo Blueberry Syrup

Method Muddle, stir, double strain
Garnish Fresh blueberry and mint

Long drink: Finlandia Blueberry Blues

2cl Finlandia Mango Fusion
2cl De Kuyper Sour Apple
2cl Modo Blackberry Syrup
2tsp blueberries
Method Muddle, shake, double strain
Garnish Flower and fresh mint

Dessert drink/digestif: Finlandia Plays Blues
2cl Finlandia Mango Fusion
2cl De Kuyper Blueberry
2cl De Kuyper Rasberry
2tsp blueberries
Vanilla cream

Method Muddle, stir, double strain
Garnish Flower and fresh mint

Tom Ward, UK
Best Long Drink winner:
Camilla Jazz

50ml Finlandia Vodka Classic
35ml camomile gomme
2 lemon wedges
4 cucumber slices
Top with soda

Method Muddle, shake and strain
Garnish Camomile flower

By Phil Pemberton

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