Nick Nistico Wins Bacardi Cocktail Competition

United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) crowned Nick Nistico as the U.S. winner of its third annual Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition in Miami.

Nistico will move on to the final Global Showcase in Puerto Rico in April. Nistico emerged from a field of eight national semi-finalists from across the country, winning with Nistico’s Garden Gimlet cocktail, fusing Bacardí Superior rum, lemon, simple syrup, dried caraway seed, red bell pepper puree, fresh arugula, and a bell pepper slice sprinkled with sea salt to produce the next Bacardí Classic Cocktail.

Now in its third year in the U.S., the USBG Legacy Cocktail Showcase is a chance for the best contemporary mixologists to create a balanced, appealing and enduring drink.

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The USBG national competition was judged by Bacardí senior brand master, William Ramos; the Global Winner of 2012 USBG Legacy Cocktail Showcase, Shingo Gokan; USBG VP, Frank Martucci; and James Beard Award-winning chef, Michael Schwartz.

The USBG competition has grown to become a world-renowned event, with regions from the United States, United Kingdom, Africa, European Union and Asia participating in 2013.

The national winner will advance to the USBG Global Showcase in Puerto Rico, hosted by industry leaders and held in front of a specially invited audience of leading bartenders, bar professionals and media.

The USBG is a group of beverage specialists with 34 Chapters throughout the U.S.