May 2024: Birmingham’s Sunil Jhamnani, has been crowned Grosvenor Casinos’ Bartender of the Year after wowing the judges’ taste buds with his creative mixology innovation.
Sunil, a bartender from Grosvenor Casino Birmingham Hill Street, astounded the judges, including the UK’s most famous bartender, Merlin Griffiths from First Dates, who were impressed that all the details were so well thought through, from the glassware to the bold flavour combination and kick of the garnish.
Image: Sunil Jhamnani, Winner of the Grosvenor Casinos’ 2024 Bartender of the Year
Originally from India before moving to the UK, Sunil missed the spicy food of home and noticed that there was a love for sweetness in the UK. After a day out at the cinema eating nachos overloaded with jalapeños, Sunil was inspired to marry the flavours of sweet and spice together into his cocktail – even adding jalapeños to his final drink to give it a real kick!
Sunil’s innovative cocktail was called Sun Maria and focused on the duality of sweetness and spice – with ingredients including mango and agave alongside the warm and spicy citrus finish of the crystal clear el Jimador tequila.
Image: David Beaumont, Brand Beverage Development Manager at Grosvenor Casinos and Sunil Jhamnani, Winner of the Grosvenor Casinos’ 2024 Bartender of the Year
Made up of mango purée, agave syrup, Aperol, and Cointreau to balance the flavours, plus el Jimador tequila and finished with a jalapeño garnish, Sun Maria was a real crowd-pleaser at the competition.
Sunil said about his win: “I came second in last year’s competition so I was keen to enter again to see if I could do better… and I did! It has been wonderful to be recognised by my company at Grosvenor Casinos. To win Bartender of the Year has been a bit of a dream for someone like me who is passionate about mixology. Sun Maria was inspired by the spices I love from India and the sweetness that you find in the UK, coming together to make a delicious cocktail with a kick.
"I am so proud to have my name and casino on the map. When it comes to mixology, I love thinking about each aspect, from selecting the right glass to the combination of the flavour from each spirit to the mixer and even down to the scent of the garnish!”
Sunil managed to shake (and stir!) off talent from over 50 rival drinks submitted by bartenders from Grosvenor Casinos across the country.
With his new title, Sunil plans to continue using his passion for all things spice to make fun and exciting cocktails. As part of the prize, Sun Maria will be added to the cocktail menu at all Grosvenor Casinos venues.
David Beaumont, Brand Beverage Development Manager at Grosvenor Casinos, said: “Sunil really impressed the judging panel with his Sun Maria creation. It was the perfect mix of sweet and spice with ingredients like the orange triple-sec and mango complementing the kick from the jalapeños.
“At Grosvenor Casinos, we place a lot of emphasis on supporting our employees’ passions and this includes our Bartender of the Year competition. We hope that Sunil’s win will inspire future bartenders to give mixology a go – it really is a lot of fun!”
Merlin Griffiths, one of the guest judges, commented on the competition: “The competition has been so enjoyable in so many ways – you can see the talent coming through in each cocktail and it’s been exciting to witness. It has been a joy to taste each cocktail!”
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