Submission Guidelines

Each entrant must submit one original cocktail recipes:

  • Sponsored by Branca USA, this round’s submissions must use:

    • Fernet Branca

    • Branca Menta
      (You may use either, or both.)

  • Each drink must include at least 1.5 oz of the featured spirit

  • Additional spirits and modifiers are allowed

    Important Dates

  • Online Submission Deadline: August 8th at 11:59 PM

  • Live Finals (Open to Public): Monday, August 18th, 2025

We’re back for Round Two. This summer, we’re raising the bar, literally. The Alchemists’ Garden invites bartenders to step behind the stick and show us what they’ve got under pressure.

For this round, your canvas: Fernet Branca and Branca Menta. Bold, bitter, complex, how you use them is up to you…

Celebrating Craft, Community, and Creative Expression

Evaluation Criteria

This round focuses on technique, poise, and performance. Finalists will compete live, bartending directly in front of the judging panel.

You'll be evaluated on:

  • Originality & Creativity

  • Brand Knowledge (Fernet & Branca Menta)

  • Speed, Cleanliness & Articulation

  • Professionalism Behind the Bar

Timed Format:

  • 10 minutes to serve judges' cocktails

  • 10 minutes to serve crowd tasters

  • All tools down and station reset at the buzzer.

  • Excess time = potential disqualification.

Awards

  • Judges’ Choice - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place

  • People’s Choice - selected by guest voting during the finals

Each rounds winner will receive an invitation to compete in our 2026 Grand Finals.