Charlotte Maxwell, a bartender at TGI Friday’s Covent Garden restaurant in London, has been crowned the chain’s UK Bartender of the Year.

Maxwell, 22, was the only female finalist in the competition and beat off 240 competitors from around the country to take the title.

She will now go on to represent the UK at the European finals on 18 October.

She picked up £2,000 for first prize after impressing judges with her bartending skills, including recipe knowledge, pouring, flaring, mixing and her personality and customer interaction.

Second place went to Vinny Read of TGI’s Haymarket restaurant and Anthony Adams, also from Haymarket, took third.

The final took place on Monday evening (25 September) at TGI’s Covent Garden site.

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By Chris Druce

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