Representing Canada, Keegan McGregor of Highwayman Bar in Halifax, Nova Scotia won the coveted title of 2024 World Class Global Bartender of the Year at the world's largest and most prestigious cocktail competition, hosted by Diageo on Thursday night at W Shanghai – The Bund.
With thousands of contestants competing across the globe over the last few months, the list was narrowed down to 44 regions set to compete across four days in Shanghai.
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This is World Class' 15th year hosting this esteemed event, with Shanghai joining the ranks of international cities like London, Sydney, São Paulo, Glasgow, and Mexico City.
This year's event was dubbed ‘Future Legacy’ – with an emphasis on storytelling and creativity that reflects and celebrates the future of the global cocktail industry.
Embodying the event’s theme, the 44 contestants competed in a series of six live event challenges judged by industry heavyweights like Shelley Tai, Erik Lorincz, Tiffanie Barriere, Millie Tang, Eric van Beek, Shingo Gokan, Ryan Chetiyawardana, Demie Kim, and many more.
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Following the first six challenges, the list was whittled down to the Top 8 contestants who competed in the Shanghai Showdown Final, an immersive bar pop-up experience.
Here’s who made the final cut:
Aris Sanjaya (Indonesia)
Borja Insa (Spain)
Danilo Frigulti (Great Britain)
Jake Down (Australia)
Keegan McGregor (Canada)
Liao Jien Ming (China)
Luca Bruni (Italy)
Pedison Kao (Taiwan, China)
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Immediately following the Shanghai Showdown, some 500 guests attended the World Class Global Bartender of the Year awards ceremony at the WET Bar, with the iconic Shanghai skyline as a dazzling backdrop.
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Ultimately, Keegan McGregor was crowned the 2024 World Class Global Bartender of the Year, joining the exclusive winners club alongside the previous 14 industry heavyweights, and following on from 2023 winner Jacob Martin, who also hails from Canada.
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“My World Class journey started six years ago, so it’s a really special experience to be recognized as the World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2024,” said newly crowned champion McGregor.
“The camaraderie amongst the competitors this week has been both inspiring and has kept me going. The biggest piece of advice I was given was to be myself and that’s exactly what I did.”
At the event, Toronto was named the next destination for the World Class Global Bartender competition in 2025.
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The week-long event also included brand popup spaces like the Johnnie Walker Blue Lounge; the Singleton Bar; Tanqueray No. Ten Cocktail Studio; the Ketel One Secret Garden; Don Julio’s Tequila y Tacos truck; Mortlach: After Dark tasting space; and Ron Zacapa Tales from Above the Clouds immersive experience.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Enhancing the week’s events with further collaboration, learning, and development for the world’s ever-evolving global cocktail culture, numerous programs took place alongside the challenges where event attendees could participate in tasting experiences, panel discussions and educational industry forums spanning topics like ‘The Perfect Cocktail to Impress,’ ‘Brewed Together: An Exhibition of Tea and Coffee in Cocktails,’ ‘Socialization Strategy: Empowering and Unifying the Bar Community for the Future,’ ‘Future Sips: Tech-infused Mixology,’ ‘From Cocktail Culture to Popular Culture,’ and many more.
About World Class
World Class is on a mission to inspire people to drink better and create unforgettable experiences in the process.
Whether at home or in a bar, World Class encourages consumers to think and care about what, where and how they drink, and in doing so, discover the best of cocktail culture.
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World Class has supported, trained and inspired over 400,000 bartenders across the globe for the past 15 years, while partnering them with the world's finest spirits.
World Class is the authority on the global drinks industry for information on the latest drinks, trends, cocktail recipes and industry insight.
[Cover image courtesy of World Class]
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