Following a grueling four-day virtual final that saw some of the world’s best bartenders put their bartending and hosting techniques to the test, Edmonton’s James Grant emerged victorious as the Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year.
After being named World Class Canada Bartender of the Year in March, Grant–who currently helms the bar at Little Hong Kong in Downtown Edmonton’s Baijiu–moved on to the finals where he represented Canada against top bartenders from 50 different countries.
The top 10 contestants then faced off in the final challenge of the competition, where Grant’s “A Tale of Two Malts” signature cocktails were deemed the best of the bunch by a panel of world-class drink experts.
"It was an incredible honour to represent Canada on the global stage this summer, and show the bartending community the incredible hospitality that makes Canada special," Grant said in a press release. "It's been an incredible journey, and I hope to continue to make the Canadian bartending community proud."
Edmontonians can currently catch the reigning World Class Bartender of the Year in action Fridays and Saturdays at Little Hong Kong from 7 p.m. till late.
