This week, over 130 competitors participated in the Best Cocktail Experience competition sponsored by Monin as part of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2024.

The theme for this year’s Best Cocktail Experience competition, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Dublin Bar Academy, was Lights, Camera… Cocktails! Directed by Monin with inspiration taken from movies ranging from Bond to Barbie.

The 130 competitors that took part in the competition had been nominated by members of the public as part of the over 160,000 nominations made through The Irish Times website, the media partner of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2024.

From the shortlist announced today, the overall winner of the Best Cocktail Experience competition will be announced at the All-Ireland event at the Burlington Hotel on May 20th.

After deliberating over each of the various cocktails, the three judges of this year’s Best Cocktail Experience arrived at the below shortlist:

  • Matheus Plancke – Bull and Castle
  • Dermot O’Connor – Café Du Parc
  • Mahaam Rashid – Daata Greystones
  • Yu Kajitani – DARUMA
  • Jevgenijs Fokins – Dromoland Castle Hotel
  • Simon O’Connor – Kinara
  • Ariel Sanecki – Pig’s Lane
  • Dimitris Georgantas – Tack Room at Adare Manor
  • Adrian McFadden – The Garden Room at the Merrion Hotel
  • Pat Thomas – The Little Pig Speakeasy