World's Top Bartenders in Cognac for 'The Grey Goose 10'

The GREY GOOSE 10 welcomed 13 bartenders to Cognac to spend three days in the company of Maître de Chai François Thibault, the original creator of GREY GOOSE vodka, as he shared with them the story of how GREY GOOSE is created from field to bottle. 

The trip culminated in the bartenders being challenged to create their own interpretation of a GREY GOOSE dry martini cocktail and an original creation inspired by the GREY GOOSE ‘field to bottle’ story.

The winner of ‘The GREY GOOSE 10’ competition was Cihan Anadologlu from Schumann’s in Munich, one of Germany’s best known cocktail bars. As his prize, Cihan received an engraved titanium cocktail shaker and will travel to Los Angeles in March 2014 to see one of his cocktails served at a GREY GOOSE Oscars party.

The bartenders taking part in ‘The GREY GOOSE 10’ for 2013 were:

Jean Poncé - São Paulo, BrazilGabrielle Panaccio - Montreal, CanadaDaniel An - Shanghai, ChinaYves Vitrant - Courchevel, FranceCihan Anadologlu - Munich, GermanyVaibhav Singh - New Delhi, IndiaBar Shira - Tel Aviv, IsraelPhilippe Zaigue - Mexico City, MexicoAngel Morales - Puerto RicoAndrey Zastavnyuk - Moscow, RussiaJack Rackham - Dubai, UAENathan O’Neill - London, UKElad Zvi - Miami, USA

Over three days, these bartenders experienced first-hand the expertise and craftsmanship behind GREY GOOSE vodka. They learnt how the French soft winter wheat used to make GREY GOOSE is the same wheat used to bake legendary French bread and pastries and put its quality to the test by baking their own bread with the flour.

The 13 bartenders also visited the GREY GOOSE production facility where the high-proof wheat spirit is blended with spring water sourced from an exclusive well 500ft beneath the limestone hills of the Grande Champagne region. And during a guided tasting with Maître de Chai François Thibault they learnt how François personally tastes every batch of GREY GOOSE to ensure that its quality is always exceptional.

THE COMPETITION

The poolside bar at Le Logis GREY GOOSE, the new home of GREY GOOSE in Cognac which is currently undergoing renovation before its opening in 2014, was the perfect setting for the competition. It was here that the bartenders presented their cocktails to judges: Maître de Chai François Thibault, Grey Goose Global Ambassador Ludovic Miazga and last year’s winner Richard Woods, who since winning the competition has gone on to become head of spirit and cocktail development for SushiSamba. 

 “It’s an amazing feeling to win,” said Cihan. “I had never considered entering a cocktail competition before, but I love Grey Goose so I decided this is the one. I used all of my 13 years of bartending experience, and everything I learned here over the last three days to create a final cocktail that added an extra chapter to François Thibault’s ‘field to bottle’ story to make it ‘field to glass’.” 

“Congratulations to Cihan who wowed me and my fellow judges with his flair, creativity and two great cocktails,” says GREY GOOSE Maître de Chai François Thibault. “The GREY GOOSE 10 is a wonderful event as there is nothing like visiting Cognac to truly appreciate what makes GREY GOOSE so special. It was a real pleasure for me to welcome these great bartenders to my home and to spend three wonderful days with them.”