METAXA 12 Competition: highlights from the global final in Athens

Διαβάστε αυτό το άρθρο στα Ελληνικά

The sixth edition of the METAXA 12 Competition reached its peak this November during the Athens Bar Show. One day before the annual gathering of the international bartending community, ten finalists from ten countries met in Athens for the global final hosted by the renowned Greek brand at the “Kentron Athinon” music venue. This year I had the pleasure and honor of joining the judging panel rather than simply observing, as I had in previous years.

The competition, now a fixture in the global cocktail-event calendar, presents a new theme each year. This time, the brief challenged contestants to create a warm cocktail!

Participants were asked to mix herbs, spices, syrups, liqueurs, bitters and essential oils with METAXA 12 Stars, serving the final drink warm in any way they chose. Think drinks you would enjoy at an après-ski gathering, beside a fireplace or on a cold winter night.

Η τριάδα των νικητών

It proved to be a demanding task, since warm cocktails are rare today. Neither guests nor bartenders often work with this style, which made the challenge even sharper. At the same time, it created an unexpected contrast with the classic identity of METAXA: its wines from Samos and Limnos, the Aegean sunlight featured across its bottles, and its long-standing presence in refreshing cocktails. This contrast ultimately brought energy to the theme and, having judged many competitions, I can say it led to some genuinely interesting drinks.

The ten finalists took the stage one by one, presenting their creations to the judges. Scoring covered storytelling and presentation skills, technical execution, flavor balance, aroma, complexity, finish, final appearance, temperature and overall innovation. I served on the judging panel alongside Arina Nikolskaya and Nils Wrage, with last year’s winner, Maciej Knapik, observing every detail as technical judge.

After an engaging and enjoyable process, German Gochev claimed first place for Bulgaria. Estonia’s Erik Tammeleht took second, and Sergey Tyukh of Slovakia came in third.

All ten finalists will travel in May 2026 to Liknon, the METAXA home in Samos, set among the Muscat vineyards where the iconic Greek spirit began. The winner will receive a financial grant to support his bar, significant visibility as the brand’s face for the coming year and a place on next year’s judging panel.

The METAXA 12 Stars spirit shone through the competitors’ creations, proving its versatility and strong appeal both in Greece and abroad, in countries that embrace it while honoring its Greek origin.

Until next year.